Let The River In
by PassingBySunnyRain
Summary: Roslynn adventures out to La Push, Washington to visit her friend who was abruptly married to a stranger. As she crosses over into the mystical life of the reservation, will she find a love she didn't necessarily want? On top of that, will she approve of this love's natural need to dominate her and run the show? Not likely - both of them have a big storm coming.
1. Ships in the Night

**AN: I do not own Twilight. I got this overwhelming feeling to start this story a couple days ago and even though FF is kind of dead now, I know that I still read it so maybe you do too? Anyhow, if there is any life out there looking for a currently updating story, please leave a comment if you're interested in another chapter. After that, it doesn't matter if you comment or not! I just want to know if there's someone out there who is actually reading Twilight FF in 2017 so I know if I should update or not haha!**

As much as I loved her, I was going to kill the bitch.

Okay, so I am a tad dramatic but Faye was my best friend. Scratch that, she's basically my sister and that means her moving across the country and getting married without my knowledge is basically slicing the bonds of sisterhood into a million pieces. However, as someone who despises the mundane, I do have to respect her ballsy actions. Faye only knew this mystery man for two months before staking a claim on him – a risky move even for her. Never having much luck with men but fearing loneliness, she tended to jump in and out of relationships rather fast. I wasn't surprised that she found someone in La Push but the fact that she married him so quickly was, well, quite the shock. Past relationships proved Faye to be pretty shit at picking potential partners and, boy, had she seen some assholes: cheaters, abusers and just your average loser. Faye wanted to see the good in men but most importantly, Faye wanted to be loved and refused to wake up to an empty side of the bed. There was an empty part within herself that she felt as though she couldn't fill herself. I always told her that she was enough, that loving someone isn't the medicine she needed but she's always been rather stubborn so she did as she pleased. Her last relationship ended with her boyfriend ignoring her for two weeks before she finally found the courage to break it off herself. She was so hurt that within a couple weeks' notice she packed her bags and moved across the country to La Push, Washington. With the help of some alcohol, of course, it was as simple as tossing a coin onto a map of the states and wherever it landed, that's where she'd flee and flee she did.

Now, here I sit staring at a text I had received from her about her new husband and how guilty she felt for not telling me anything about him. I took a deep breath and decided to call her – there was no way she could just send this kind of news with no warning and expect me to be all happy-go-lucky for her. Not that I wasn't happy for her but, damn, let a sister know. You'd think we hadn't been best friends for 10 years or that we hadn't spent weeks at each other's house or that we hadn't taken baths together with a bottle of wine each watching horror movies with the lights turned off. What? Like I said, we are basically sisters.

"Hey Roslynn, please don't lecture me from the get go! I know I'm the worst friend ever for just texting you with no explanation but it's very complicated!"

She sounded panicked already. Good – she knew she did something wrong. Well, not wrong I suppose. She's entitled to keep her private life private but to be fair, Faye and I shared absolutely everything with each other. I could rely on her like a friend, sister and mother. I almost felt hurt that she didn't tell me sooner because I thought she could rely on me in the same way.

"Complicated? What's complicated? I'll tell you - it's that you couldn't even call me to tell me you'd even met someone. Hell, not even a damn text? I don't mean to nag you but come on! This is a huge, huge deal! Were you afraid that I would judge you or something?" I heard her sigh and she sounded close to tears. The first thing to know about Faye, as previously stated, is that she's shit at picking partners – number two is that she's a very emotional being. Excuse me for being worried about her!

"I know it is a big deal and no, I know you won't judge me! I'm a wife, Roslynn. A wife. It hasn't even been 4 months since I broke up with Ben and I am someone's wife! I was wrecked in that relationship and now here I sit…married! Do you remember the night of the break up? We said 'fuck men' and pledged to be single forever together? Do you know how weird this is for me? It's a lot to get used to! I keep saying I'm married and that I'm a wife over and over again and it's still so new to me. I've felt like shit for not telling anyone anything, especially you. He helps me though, he helps me like no other and I feel so happy and loved. I know you're worried about me and you have every right to be but Jacob is honestly the best man I have ever met." Her tone changed from upset to undoubtedly infatuated. Whoever this guy was, I wasn't sure I could trust him. Men, or at least the one's I've known and who have dated Faye, were in no rush to make a commitment to anyone, especially a lifelong commitment. It had me wondering if this guy was insane, forced her or was just actually in love with my best friend.

"If he's so great, why haven't you bothered to tell me about him? You get there and within two months you're married? That's insane. Are you being forced? Is he crazy? Nothing should be that complicated."

Faye started to giggle in the background at my questions while I huffed, obviously agitated.

"Jeez Roslynn, that imagination of yours really must get you in trouble sometimes. No, I'm not being forced and no he's not crazy. He's actually very smart, responsible, funny and charming. I think you'd actually approve of this one!" she said simply and I could hear the smile in her voice.

"I just don't understand. Something is strange here. You'd never do something like this and keep it a secret. Even if you wanted it on the down low, we all know you have a big mouth and it would have slipped anyhow." I teased and she chuckled, knowing it was the truth.

"Listen, why don't you come up and see me then if you're so curious? You know I miss you like crazy! And who knows, maybe you'll find a chunk of hunk yourself."

I sighed and thought about her offer for a moment. I missed her like crazy plus the chance to see her and investigate into her new lifestyle was very tempting. However, I'm young and money seems to always be an issue. Before I opened my mouth to tell her that wasn't a good idea, she was already challenging my thoughts.

"And Roslynn, we all know that you're ridiculously cheap so don't even try to say you don't have the money because all you do is save. You can stay with Jacob and I, we'll provide the food and whatever else you need, okay? Just find the next ticket and get your ass up here. You need a break from life anyhow."

She was right and I knew it. However, my new title of "unemployed" did not exactly support a random trip out to Washington. At the same time though, I have always wanted to travel and be spontaneous. Hell, what's the worst that could happen? I haven't always lived on the "safe" side so why start now?

"Fine," I replied. "But don't even try to set me up with any of your local "hunks" – I am sticking to our "fuck men" and single forever pledge."

Faye just laughed and we said our goodbyes. Pulling out my computer, I looked up the next available tickets out to Washington - tomorrow, 6am. I purchased my ticked, printed it out and sent a copy to Faye so that she would be able to pick me up tomorrow around noon. I quickly packed and then headed to bed. Tomorrow, the investigation begins.

 **FPOV**

"Alright, she's coming! I'm so excited – I just wish I could tell her everything about us. She's a very curious individual, Jacob. Just to warn you."

Jacob laughed and looked at me adoringly. I could tell that he knew how much I had missed Roslynn but due to his rather large secret of being a shape shifter and protecting the La Push reservation, it was hard to give her any details about our relationship – especially about imprinting. Roslynn, I feel, would probably hate the aspect of imprinting. Roslynn has always been independent, strong willed and just a naturally curious person. When we were younger, she'd always take me on crazy adventures and encourage me to just live life as best I could in the moment. She's the one who inspired me to pick a random place and move in the first place.

"I'd rather have your friend be curious about us out of the care in her heart than shut you out for keeping such a large secret." He wrapped his arms around me and sighed, content. I agreed – Roslynn may not always approve of what I do, but as long as I'm safe she'll forever support me. I peeked over at Jacob, admiring his warm skin and full lips. I don't think that I'd ever get used to how handsome he was inside and out. Knowing how much I missed home and Roslynn, he did his best to make sure that I was happy and that I was somewhat distracted when it came to the days that were rougher on me. I wished in that moment that everyone could experience what it's like to be loved so fully.

"Jacob, do you think that someone will imprint on her?" I asked, hopeful.

"Baby, imprinting is supposed to be a rare phenomenon. However, with Sam, Jared, and Quil all having found their mate, it's looking to be a lot more common than the elders thought. It's possible. I believe that you unknowingly picked La Push because it led you right to me. You may have led your friend to her soul mate as well."

I smiled at the thought. Roslynn, out of everyone I knew, deserved to find happiness. She was no saint or anything but she had it rough growing up. Her parents were divorced by the time she was eleven, two years before she met me. I remember her going into detail one late night about how much that moment changed her view on love and she wasn't afraid to let others know. She believed that anyone was able to change their heart and mind in any moment, thus, making the idea of marriage and soul mates implausible to her. In our freshman year of high school, Roslynn was so vocal about her lack of belief in love there were bets going around seeing who could get Roslynn to go out with them and who could break her, as if she were some kind of crazed animal. They thought that someone who was as passionate as she was about not believing in love would therefore only be interested in sex and fleeting casual relationships. One boy succeeded by acting as though the bets were childish and that she deserved someone's interest only if they truly cared. Roslynn fell and that boy was known as the one who broke her – he walked away with $100 and she walked away with more scars than she already had. She didn't open up much about her view on love or really anything personal after that – she was more closed off and stubborn than when I initially met her.

At the age of 14, Roslynn had essentially had put the whole idea of love behind her. She adamantly avoided any romance movies which lead her to develop a love for horror movies and she rarely listened to anything other than classical music. By the time we graduated high school, she had a plan to work and go to college until she graduated with her first degree then from there it was off to explore the world. She would tell me that so many people waste their lives being completely obsessed with finding someone to love and that she wouldn't be the same – her love belonged to the sea, the mountains, and the forest. The exploration of the world , her novels and writing her own poetry is what captured her mind, body, soul and that's the way it's been ever since. She recently graduated with her 2 year associates degree and had taken a paid internship to allow her to save while she planned out her extravagant travels. She planned to travel the state's first and from there go wherever her heart desired. The entirety of Roslynn always made me a tad insecure – I was someone who devoutly believed in romance and a prince charming. I suppose that's why I've had so many horrible relationships – I'm rather quick to jump into something when I feel any sort of spark. She assured me that it wasn't wrong wanting what I wanted, it was just the whole idea had been tainted for her from the beginning.

Regardless, I think that watching Roslynn stare the love of her life in the face would be kind of hysterical. I don't know if she would know what to do with the constant love, admiration and loyalty constantly thrown at her. For her sake, I hope it happens and that she finally finds someone who can confront her belief on love head on.

 **AN: Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter :D If anyone out there did follow me, I did have other stories posted but took them down a while ago in case you were curious as to what happened. Anyhow, like I said, I'm not sure if anyone is out there reading FF still but please leave a quick little comment letting me know if you are 3 I hope all of you have a spectacular day 3**


	2. Ocean Eyes

**AN: I do not own Twilight. Thank you for everyone who reviewed on the first chapter - it's good to know that there are still readers on FF**! **Here's the next chapter**! **Enjoy**!

La Push was incredibly different from the bright and sunny home I was used to in Florida. The lush forestry, the misty mountainous air – it was all incredibly addicting. There's this crazy magic everywhere you look and you could feel this magnetic pull to the reservation. I looked over at Faye and studiously watched her. She looked happy – glowing even. Her long red hair looked soft and caught the sun beautifully, her blue eyes glistened and looked brighter than I'd ever seen them. As she talked, I could tell that her heart was full and reconsidered looking too deeply into her new life. Then again, I woke up at 6 am and it was a long flight due to the time change between states – I could just be too sleepy to really tell.

As we drove down the winding roads, I could catch glimpses of the ocean and at the same time, of the forest. Faye pointed out each little convenience store, the post office, and basically everything else – the small reservation was very charming. We pulled up came to small cabin that looked like something Faye had always dreamed of living in. It was a triangular build with plenty of windows and a garden surrounding the outer perimeter. There was a Volkswagen Rabbit and motorcycle that sat in the driveway so I assumed that Jacob was inside awaiting our grand arrival. As if to confirm my assumptions, a massive man stomped down the front steps and a blinding smile appeared on his lips. Faye looked like a child as she jumped out of the car and sprinted into his waiting arms. The way he accepted her into him was…different. It was like having each other near completed them – only happiness graced their features and for some strange reason it made me feel incredibly vulnerable but at the same time I felt longing.

They broke apart as I sauntered up with my luggage, which Jacob pulled from me not giving me time to resist.

"Roslynn, it's so nice to meet you. Faye talks about you all of the time and I'm glad that you were able to come up for a visit." He said, extending his large hand out to me. I shook it and couldn't help but smile up at him. Jacob was a handsome fella to put it simply. His skin was dark and oddly warm, he had full lips, a straight nose and thick brows framing dark eyes – I felt bad looking at him so intensely but it was honestly out of pure awe.

"Thank you for allowing me to stay here, it's very kind of you."

Faye laughed next to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the home.

"Come on, I'll show you the room so we can put all your stuff down and then we'll go from there!"

I nodded and looked around at her home that she was yanking me so fast through. It was very open and clouded with both Faye and Jacob's, well, life? There were pictures everywhere of both of them and if I hadn't known better, it would have appeared as though they'd known each other for a life time. How did a couple take this many pictures in such little time? How many moments had they spent together? Moving through the rest of the home, there were rugs all over the floor, several mirrors, art and plants everywhere – it was undeniably homey and comfortable. She opened the door to what would be my room for the next week and Jacob followed behind us, placing my luggage next to a dresser.

"We'll let you unpack and then just come on downstairs! I'm sure that you probably have a lot to ask!" Faye said as she backed out of the room, Jacob following closely behind. I sighed and grabbed my luggage, pulling out the contents and placing them in their appropriate places. I couldn't get over how insanely happy she looked. I mean Faye had always been such a happy, positive person but I've never seen her this happy in a relationship that's lasted this long. Usually something happens within the first couple weeks and then the remainder was her fighting to fix things while the guy just sat and let her, never making any effort. This was something different, something special but a part of me still thought something else was going on. Faye was always excited to tell me about her new beaus, so why was this one different? Especially if things were going to well – well enough for them to get married even? It didn't make sense.

I headed over to where Faye and Jacob were sitting and laughing at the kitchen table.

"Okay, I have questions and I need some answers here because as damn cute as you two are together something is up and I know it." I stated abruptly.

Faye smiled and nodded.

"You got it – question number one?" She asked.

"How and when did you two meet?"

Faye and Jacob looked at each other, as if reminiscing about the moment.

"It wasn't anything extravagant, Roslynn. I was out grocery shopping when I first saw him, only from the back but he just had this presence about him I couldn't ignore! We kind of bumped into each other multiple times in the store but it was the moment he looked at me to apologize that everything changed. I know you don't believe in love at first sight but that's exactly what happened. He then asked me out and after getting to know each other for a couple of weeks, we decided that our relationship was too special and matter-of-fact to keep casually dating. He proposed and I honestly didn't think twice about saying yes. I know that my past relationships haven't gone well at all but Jacob makes me feel like the most cherished woman in the world. He lets me be myself and would never ask me to change who I am. In fact, he pushes me to be more 'me' than I ever knew. I've learned a lot about myself and love in the past two months."

I eyed her, looking for any weird eye signals or body language telling me that she was fibbing but there was nothing but pure, unadulterated joy. How she could be so open and honest about Jacob right in front of him somehow made me uncomfortable, though. For me, I don't think I could ever be so vulnerable in front of someone like that – then they know and can use it to their advantage. Still, for her to be so much of herself and comfortable in front of him was nice. Maybe he wasn't so bad?

"Okay, I'm satisfied with that." I said shortly. "But now why didn't you tell me? I mean if he's so great and wonderful, where was the exclamation of 'hell yeah – got one'?".

With that, Faye began to look a little nervous.

"That's complicated, Roslynn. To put it simply, I guess you could say that Jacob has a…strange job?" She looked over at him as if to say she didn't know what the hell to tell me. Jacob sighed and smiled at me tightly.

"I guess you could say I have a very important role here on the reservation that not everyone is supposed to know about or it could have negative consequences for me and my…team."

My eyes widened as everything clicked into place at once.

"What the hell? I swear to God if you get Faye involved with any type of mafia mumbo-jumbo shit I will personally see to it that your life is ended swiftly with no witnesses. I have a good alibi." I seethed.

Suddenly, both Jacob and Faye burst into a fit of giggles while I sat there wide eyed. What else was I to assume? Important role? Negative consequences? Mafia? Gang? Something like that was the only thing that made sense!

"Faye, I heard you say she had a wild imagination but, man!" He said through the chuckles.

I crossed my arms over my chest, frustrated.

"Well then explain yourself instead of being so damn secretive about it and then I won't have any need to make wild assumptions." I huffed.

"Fine, fine." He said, straightening out. "But, Roslynn, for your own safety there does have to be some aspect of secrecy. The only information I can really give is that we protect the way of life here, our community. There are threats that are constantly present and we make sure that the people always remain safe and secure."

"So, some kind of secret service agent?" I questioned.

Jacob smiled and shrugged.

"I guess you could say that, but we're better than that…in a way!" He grinned cheekily and Faye just shook her head, a soft smile on her face.

There wasn't too much to say after that. If Jacob and Faye were telling the truth then their relationship, as rushed as it was to me, seemed to be making her happy now and that's all that really mattered to me. Plus, if Jacob was really in the secret service or whatever organization he claimed, it was nice to know that at least he could provide and protect her. They seemed wholesome and well suited for each other – genuinely happy as well. Though their relationship happened faster than usual, I hope that they always felt this way about each other.

"I guess that's really it then!" I exclaimed, amused at Faye's shocked face.

"Really? I was expecting a lot more questions or assumptions!"

"Well, if you two are being honest and I expect that you two are, then I don't really have anything to worry about! You seem to have a nice relationship, a beautiful home – I'm really happy for you, girl!" I smiled as she hopped out of her chair and sprinted over to give me a hug.

"Thank God! I was so worried you were going to go all mother hen on me and freak out all week! Now we really have a chance to show you the reservation and enjoy this week without you being all paranoid!"

I playfully shoved her, shaking my head.

"Excuse me for being worried about my best friend!" I exclaimed. "Now, about this week, there are so many differences here compared to Florida and I want to see them all! We need to go to the beach, the mountains, everywhere!"

Faye nodded and smiled brightly, agreeing. At that moment, it felt like home and like I had my best friend back. We used to adventure like crazy together, going everywhere and anywhere! When she moved away, I was pretty lonely and while I went out by myself, it wasn't the same. Jacob remained at the table, just watching us gleefully. I suppose he was different in that way as well. Faye's other boyfriends, as uninterested as they seemed in her one-on-one, would always get mightily jealous when she and I made plans. It was so nice to actually have someone support her happiness with others instead of just wanting it all to himself.

"Trust me, Roslynn, I have plans! Everything is relatively close! In fact, there's a beach about 5 minutes away from here that's one of my favorite places to go and I know that you'll love it!"

I made my way to the front door automatically and began putting my shoes on.

"What are we waiting for then! Show me!"

Faye laughed at my swiftness.

"Actually, Jacob's…team is coming over for a…meeting and I thought it would be nice to make them lunch! Why don't you head on out and I'll come meet you in a bit? It's not that hard to get there! Just head out back and pretty much go straight on until you see the shore!"

I scoffed but nodded.

"I never pictured you as a little Susie homemaker but have fun with that! I'll be waiting down by the sea!" I said teasingly. We both knew that Faye wasn't the best cook in the world but everything else seems to have changed quite a bit anyways.

I headed out into the backyard and through the little bit of forestry before catching the smell of the ocean. I'd always loved the ocean, especially back home where the water was always clear and the sand as soft and white as baby powder. Up here, the beach was very different. The ocean was dark, looking like a bruise upon the deep toffee colored sand – I was in love. There was driftwood that littered the shore and I decided to sit down in the sand and lean upon a piece, taking in the build and crash of the waves. The boom and slapping of the water pieced together with the soft, salty scent made me think that it wouldn't be so bad to live here. As a lover of nature and of adventure, this seemed like the perfect place for me.

Interrupting my thoughts was a group of about three native boys laughing together. Funny enough they seemed to have the same build and color as Jacob – they could all be brothers. They were all handsome as well, rosy cheeks and white smiles. What is with all of these handsome men in this place? I got up quickly once I registered they were headed my way and began to head back to Faye's house, not bothering to wait until she finished lunch. I heard a gasp from behind me and the laughing ceased. I kept walking, ignoring the sudden silence and praying that not one of them would approach me. I've always been both a people person and not a people person – somewhere confusingly in between. If Faye was with me or if I was in my element, I would have no problem walking away from the group behind me and, in fact, I probably wouldn't even have noticed them. However, in this new strange place, I wasn't really up for making new friends. I turned the corner to start heading back through the lush forest when a thick, deep voice called out to me, causing me to freeze. Never in my life had I heard a voice like that – it was almost like a song.

"Wait!"

I took a deep breath and slowly turned around to find that the three of them had gotten a lot closer to me than I thought. Two of them were standing in front of the third, hiding his face away from me but I could tell that he was very tense, almost vibrating.

"Yes, can I help you?" I questioned, watching as the man in the back visibly relaxed.

"I'm Embry, this is Quil and the guy back there is Paul. Are you Roslynn?"

Curiously, I nodded.

"I am. I'm sorry, how do you know me?" I questioned.

"We're friends of Jacob! We saw you wondering back here and just wanted to make sure you weren't lost! Not too many people know of this back path towards the beach but I'm sure Faye told you the way!"

I nodded again and stood there awkwardly, eyeing the man in the back. Paul, wasn't it? Not that I could see him properly, but he looked absolutely delicious.

"Anyhow, I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon! Jacob apparently planned some kind of bon fire tonight so we'll see you there! It was nice to meet you!" Embry said, reaching out to shake my hand. A bonfire? That definitely wasn't mentioned. It should be fun though and maybe I'd get a chance to get to know Faye's new friends more. It seemed as though Embry referred to her in a kind manner, they must have become acquaintances as well. A part of me questioned if this Paul would be there too – I wouldn't mind getting a chance to see the rest of his face. I may not believe in love, but I know damn well when there's an attractive man standing in front of me and, damn, was Paul attractive. Involuntarily I blushed, scolding myself for thinking this way. Looks never mattered to me and I wasn't even sure if they did in this case either! Sure, he was good looking from what I could tell but, just like everything else here, I felt a pull to him.

"Yeah, you too." I replied, a blush still prominent on my cheeks. Before I could reach out to shake his hand, Paul glanced up, his wild eyes taking me in wholly. I blushed deeper, taken back by the intensity in his eyes. Seeing him fully, I realized that my statements of Jacob and the other boy's attractiveness were severely incorrect. Paul was beautiful. His hair was long and thick, the color of the trunks of the trees that surrounded us in that moment. His skin was a warm cinnamon color, smooth and free of any blemish. His nose was straight and cheeks rosy, lips full and inviting. His eyes are what pulled me to him, a deep obsidian with anger in them but also softness. Though nothing close to the color of the ocean, they reminded me of its magnificence. He was tall and his body seemed to be made of nothing but muscle yet he was so graceful as he moved and towered over me. His tight shirt didn't leave much to the imagination with the way it enhanced his muscular form - he was definitely built beyond belief. I'd never encountered anything like him before in my life.

"Mine." He murmured, a deep rumble bubbling in his chest. He stepped towards me, reaching out with his hand as though he wanted to touch me. My eyes widened, watching as he began to step toward to me.

"I b-beg your pardon?"

Embry glanced at me nervously and moved to stand in front of me while Quil tried to pull Paul back unsuccessfully.

"Get away from her!" He growled, louder this time, the deep timbre of his voice shaking me to my core. I watched as he intensely fought to get out of Quil's grasp, his eyes never leaving my form. Eventually he was able to break free and that was all it took for everything to sink in and for me to turn on my heel and run as fast as I could back to Faye's house. I heard a roar rip through the air and pushed myself to run faster. What the absolute hell was that about? 'Mine'? What did that mean? And that roar? He sounded like an animal! I don't think I'd ever heard a human make those kinds of noises.

As soon as I made it to Faye's house, I ran in and slammed the door, breathing heavily and most likely looking crazy.

"Roslynn, what the hell? Are you okay?" Faye asked, looking at me wide-eyed. Jacob glancing up at me curiously as well, both I'm sure wondering what was going on.

"What kind of psycho, crazy-ass friends do you guys have? Because I am not amused in the slightest!" I half-yelled, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

Jacob stood up quickly and glanced at Faye before walking over to me.

"What do you mean? Did you run into anyone out there?"

"Run into anyone? More like run away from them! Hell, when someone stares you down, calls you theirs and then tries to make a move on you, I think running away is the most appropriate response!" I gasped, moving past him towards the kitchen where Faye had a bottle of water waiting for me.

I watched as Jacob and Faye stared at each other, looks of shock on their face. It looked as though they were having a silent conversation with each other that was then interrupted by a deafening boom that came from the living room. All of us moved towards the front room to see a heavy breathing Paul standing on top of the now broken down door, his eyes searching for something and then finally landing on me. He growled lowly, making his way towards me as I backed up slowly.

"Paul," Jacob said slowly. "You're scaring her, Paul. You need to calm down."

Paul glared at Jacob, his whole body shaking.

"Get away from her." He said through clenched teeth.

I continued to back away, looking over at Faye for help. She seemed just as concerned as Jacob did in that moment but when she saw how distressed I was, she softened, grabbed my hand and we both ran to my room. I could hear heavy footsteps chase after us as we ran but once we were inside, everything was silent except for the heavy breathing on the other side of the door. I locked it for good measure even though someone who broke down one door could easily break down another. Faye and I just looked at each other, keeping quiet and listening to what was going on outside of the room. I heard another set of footsteps approach and a rumble.

"Paul, I know what you're going through but you're scaring the shit out of her. She won't give you a chance while she's this terrified. Listen to her heart beat, can't you hear how fast it's beating?"

I gasped and backed away from the door, looking at Faye for some answers. She stared back at me, looking sorrowful but also relieved?

"What the hell does that mean? Hear my heart? What the hell is going on Faye?" I hissed at her.

She walked over to the bed, sat down and patted next to her. Begrudgingly, I sat down beside her.

"Listen, Roslynn, it's hard to explain but Jacob was right…Paul can hear your heart beat among a lot of other things. So can Jacob – I guess you could say it's a part of their job?" She said softly, as if explaining something to a child.

I heard a heavy sigh come from the other side of the door and then slowly the door opened, popping as the lock broke, I'm sure. I watched as Jacob entered first, Paul standing closely behind him.

"Roslynn, Paul has something he needs to speak with you about and I promise that everything will make sense. I'm asking you to give him a chance and to understand that right now, Paul's behavior is going to seem very different than what you're normally used to. I have to go talk to Embry and Quil outside but Faye can stay in here with you if that makes you feel better. Is that okay? Can he come in?"

I peered over Jacob's shoulder at Paul – his eyes were still wild and he was fidgeting with his hands. He seemed anxious, like he needed to be in the room or he'd surely die. There was aggression and anger in his stance too, the whole of him tense and antsy. Somehow I felt as though I needed to hear what he had to say so, letting curiosity get the best of me, I nodded to Jacob.

 **AN: Thank you for coming back to my story**! **I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter**! **Once I get further into this story, I was thinking about writing another on how Jacob and Faye met, what do you think? Also, if there are any questions please feel free to ask**! **Happy Halloween and have a wonderful, safe day :D**


	3. Clover

**AN: Thank you to everyone who left a comment**! **Honestly, it means a lot to me**! **Here is chapter three from Paul's perspective. Just to clear some things up, Jacob is now the pack alpha. I've been trying to determine how things will fit along with the novels and I've decided that the moment in Breaking Dawn where Jacob runs off to try to imprint, he does with Faye. The pack still helps once the Volturi come but after that, both the Cullen's and the pack move on with their own lives. They're obviously still friendly and visit but everyone is just happy and busy with their families.**

 **PPOV**

For the first time in a long time, it was a sunny day in La Push and I was cherishing every last minute of it. The rays warmed my skin and bounced off of each wave as Embry, Quil and I made our way down the beach to Sam's house. One of Faye's friends were coming to visit so there was going to be a bonfire tonight meaning that Jacob, as the new alpha, needed to talk to the pack to make sure nothing slipped out.

"Do you think someone will imprint on her?" Embry asked, hopefulness in his eyes. Jacob, Sam, Jared and Quil had all imprinted when the Elder's predicted that it would only be one or two of us that would find our mate – we were a bit on edge. It made sense when Sam and Jacob imprinted as they were both destined to be alpha at one point and needed to pass their gene down. However, for Quil and Jared to imprint as well, that was a mystery.

"I don't know, man, but I hope so. We all know how much you look forward to that day." Quil responded, chuckling softly. Embry and Quil were very close and knew each other better than most of the pack brothers – that's saying something. Embry always had a kindness to him and he was eager to fall in love. He didn't have a reason to be wary like I did. In fact, I don't think anyone else in the pack had to be wary like I did except for Leah. Even then, we weren't sure if she could imprint being the pack's only female member.

According to the Elder's, every imprint is unique to each member's personality. We didn't really understand until Sam had first imprinted.

Sam was naturally protective and almost fatherly like so when he met Emily, those traits came out ten-fold. He was always with her and always making sure that she was safe. He protected her fiercely for the first couple months until the imprint settled and it sank in that he was more than capable of keeping her from danger. Luckily, Emily was pretty soft so she didn't mind Sam's overbearing, father-like protectiveness. Emily was also from the Makah reserve so she knew about everything from the get-go and realized that Sam acting crazy was just his wolf's personality that needed to make itself known for a little and then he'd calm.

For Jacob, he was just a damn ray of sunshine. He was in a tough spot when he imprinted on Faye. His former best friend and first love, Bella, had fallen in love and fell pregnant with her husband, Edward Cullen – a vampire. Jacob was devastated and ran out in search for his imprint but didn't have to go far seeing as though Faye had conveniently moved right into town. It was almost like she was looking for him too. From there, they were always laughing and smiling together – not one negative moment. It was as easy and natural as breathing for them.

Quil and Jared's stories were much the same which leads me to be cautious about my own imprint. Sam's story was the only one that could be similar to mine but, with my luck, my imprint was going to be a pain in my ass. I was naturally dominant – I liked things to go my way and, without fail, they always did. I was also a hot-head and resident bad boy of the pack. No, I didn't drink or smoke or go out and have sex with a ton of women because as much as people like to think that makes them some kind of badass, I was smart enough to know better. I was just closed off most of the time, liked to run the show and hated being bossed around by the alphas. That, in turn, made me the hard-ass of a pack of rule-followers. I knew that after some time, I would be able to calm my wolf but in the beginning, it would be hard.

Pulled out of my thoughts by the silence, I looked up to find Embry and Quil staring at me. Ah, I hadn't said anything.

"Embry, you'll find her one day. Just hope for your sake she's as soft as you are or you'll become someone's bitch really fast." I replied, causing all of us to laugh. In the distance, I heard someone stand up and shuffle through the sand. Weird, no one really knows of this beach or the back path to it.

"Jeez, Paul, you don't have a lot of faith in me, do you? Besides, I have a feeling my imprint won't be that way – it's not supposed to be that way at least. We're equals, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Embry. Anyways, let's forget about it. Anytime someone starts talking about this shit it seems like someone always imprints." I said, looking away from the guys and focusing on a figure not so far in front of us. All of a sudden I gasped, catching a whiff of…what was that? Pine? Nutmeg? Rain and grass? My pace picked up and I could hear the footsteps of Embry and Quil following me hurriedly. That scent – it appealed to me greatly and I couldn't shake myself of it. As we approached the figure from behind, I could tell by the swaying of hips that our mystery person was female. Long, dark hair fell to her mid-back in wild curls, her body clothed in a calf-length, white dress and white flats adorned her small feet. God, she was short and tiny – well, compared to us giants at least. Before I could help myself, I called out to her.

"Wait." That voice didn't sound like mine? It sounded strained and in need. I pulled back and let Embry and Quil move in front of me so that I could hide my face just as she turned to them. I could hear her heart beat steadily rise and the sound spread warmth throughout my being.

"Yes, can I help you?" She replied with the voice of a Goddess. It was husky but at the same time was musical, like bells. My being relaxed a little at the sound and I focused on the conversation taking place.

"I'm Embry, this is Quil and the guy back there is Paul. Are you Roslynn?" Embry replied swiftly and calmly but I could tell he was on edge as well. He knew what was going on just like I did – this person in front of me must be my mate. There's no other way my attraction to her made sense. Ironically, I knew that talking about it would cause this shit to happen.

"I am. I'm sorry, how do you know me?" There was a hint of fear in her tone and I clenched my fists, trying my hardest not to look or reach out to her. She had no need to be scared, we could protect her better than anyone else, I could protect her better than anyone else. I continued to try and avoid eye contact. The moment we locked gazes would be the same moment my wolf would be released – to say I was nervous was an understatement.

"We're friends of Jacob! We saw you wondering back here and just wanted to make sure you weren't lost! Not too many people know of this back path towards the beach but I'm sure Faye told you the way!"

Ah, so this was Faye's friend. Roslynn, God even her name was beautiful. Emotion rushed through me like a river and I could tell that she was eyeing me. To feel her eyes on me is something that I would never forget, especially the way her heart beat significantly sped up – I'm sure there was a delightful blush on her cheeks.

"Anyhow, I'm sure we'll be seeing you soon! Jacob apparently planned some kind of bon fire tonight so we'll see you there! It was nice to meet you!" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Embry reach out to shake her hand. I felt myself tense again – he would get to touch my imprint before me? Fuck that.

"Yeah, you too." She said awkwardly, reaching out her hand to shake his. Jealousy coursed through me and my head shot up, finding that instead of looking at Embry, her eyes had moved past him and were focused on me.

There's no way that I could have prepared myself for what happened next. My eyes devoured every piece of her 5'3 frame. She was so tiny but my wolf was pleased to see that she was a healthy weight for her size, curves gracing her frame deliciously. Her skin was a light caramel and her high cheeks had a rose tint. Blushing? Could she feel the same attraction to me? The thought made my body tingle.

"Mine." I murmured, a rumble deep in my chest. My eyes continued to look over her face – she was stunning. Her dark eyebrows framed a pair of piercing green eyes that were lined by a thick array of black lashes. Her nose was small, perfectly fitting her face and her lips were full, a wonderful pink that were painfully asking for mine to kiss them. She had a soft jawline and long neck – her collarbones leading perfectly to her breasts. I took a step towards her, reaching out my hand. I needed to touch her.

"I b-beg your pardon?" She questioned. Didn't she know? Couldn't she feel the pull? She was mine – forever mine. I would make her the happiest woman on earth and love her with a fierceness that could set forests on fire. I saw Embry nervously glance at me and move to stand in front of her. I growled loudly at not being able to see her any longer.

"Get away from her." I seethed, realized now that Quil was trying to restrain me. I fought him off angrily. How dare they try to keep me from her? From what's mine? My imprint – my mate. I shook Quil off easily and made my way over to Roslynn.

Her eyes held fear and some curiosity but before I could get to her, she turned and ran from me. A growl ripped from my chest and I could feel my blood boil. She ran from me? Seriously? I immediately took off towards Jacob's home, knowing that was her ultimate destination. As I approached the house, I could hear Roslynn yelling, obviously emotional.

"Run into anyone? More like run away from them! Hell, when someone stares you down, calls you theirs and then tries to make a move on you, I think running away is the most appropriate response!"

I froze, the need to protect her overwhelming me. Before I could register what was happening, the front door had been broken down and my eyes roamed the living room, looking everywhere for my mate. I saw Roslynn, Jacob and Faye peeking from around the corner. Jacob was the first to move, approaching me slowly.

"Paul," Jacob said softly. "You're scaring her, Paul. You need to calm down."

Scaring her? Impossible, I was her imprint, right?

"Get away from her." I said through clenched teeth.

It was at that moment that I saw Faye reach over to Roslynn and grab her hand before both of them ran off to one of the back rooms. I growled and followed them, getting even more agitated when I heard the door lock. Jacob approached me and I couldn't help the rumble that came out of my chest.

"Paul, I know what you're going through but you're scaring the shit out of her. She won't give you a chance while she's this terrified. Listen to her heart beat, can't you hear how fast it's beating?" Jacob stated, trying to calm me down.

I paused, listening closely to my imprint's little heart beating away rapidly. I sighed – I knew that this was going to be tough but repressing my wolf was the hardest thing in the world. All I wanted to do in that moment was to break the door down and cradle her in my arms but that wouldn't be the smartest decision. I looked at Jacob painfully and nodded.

"Listen, I'm going to open the door and try to talk her into letting you come in the room with her. I'm going to need you to stay behind me, Paul. I don't want to order you but your behavior has frightened my imprint and yours as well as damaged my home. Take a deep breath and try to calm yourself. I know it's hard, trust me."

I nodded again, not being able to trust my voice. Jacob slowly opened the door and I caught her scent again, causing me to tremble. It would be so easy to take Jacob off guard, grab Roslynn and take her somewhere quiet but I knew that would make everything more difficult in the long run. Looking at Roslynn, I could tell that Jacob was right, she was terrified.

"Roslynn, Paul has something he needs to speak with you about and I promise that everything will make sense. I'm asking you to give him a chance and to understand that right now, Paul's behavior is going to seem very different than what you're normally used to. I have to go talk to Embry and Quil outside but Faye can stay in here with you if that makes you feel better. Is that okay? Can he come in?"

I watched her closely and her eyes met mine. She was thinking about it which is a good sign. Though she was scared, a part of me knew that she was curious. Her eyes went back to Jacob as she slowly nodded. Okay, here we go.

 **AN: End chapter three! I hope that you guys enjoyed it! Thank you so much for continuing to read! Have a lovely day :D**


	4. Black As Night

**AN: I do not own Twilight. A huge thank you to everyone who leaves reviews! Although it's not necessary, I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate it so much! Here's chapter four - Enjoy!**

In some strange way, I felt as though this next moment would change my life. We've all had those moments where you knew that after everything was said and done, nothing would be the same. The feeling you get is similar to being on a roller coaster – you're being pulled up the track, you know the drop is coming, but there's nothing you can do to prepare your body for the weightlessness you feel through the fall. I had that same build in my stomach now as I watched Jacob move from standing in front of Paul – seeing the whole of him again was enough to knock the air right out of my lungs.

Paul hesitantly took a few steps towards me, reading my body language. I nodded to him slowly, trying to let him know that it was okay but that only caused him to cross the room quickly, encasing my body into his tight hold as he sighed, content. My body froze, from fear or pleasure I honestly couldn't tell. Wait, was he smelling me? I shivered at the thought. I didn't want to admit this but the feeling of being pressed so closely to his taut muscles was definitely a…nice one to say the least. Am I going insane?

"Mine." He murmured again. With his body so close, I could feel him vibrate as he spoke and my flesh broke out in goosebumps, as if the energy between us was trying to confirm what he had said.

"Paul, what did I tell you?" Jacob said warningly. "Give her some space or I will be forced to order you to do so."

Paul audibly snarled but pulled away, sitting to the right of me while Faye remained on my left, watching us, interested. Oder? What was that supposed to mean? Jacob paused for another minute, I assume waiting for Paul to make another strange move, before kissing Faye lightly on the cheek and walking out. And then there were three.

We sat there for a bit, all of us eyeing each other, waiting for someone to say something, anything.

"Okay," I said quietly, turning to Paul. "What exactly is going on here?"

Paul sighed, his eyes closed and hands clenched into fists.

"Roslynn," He began, opening his dark eyes, his voice sounding like honey as he spoke my name. "I'm sure you can tell by now that something is different here."

I nodded, feeling strange under his intense eye but not uncomfortable in the slightest.

"Jacob said that he is in some sort of secret service? Protectors of the community? Something like that but couldn't really go into detail. Does that have something to do with…this?" I asked, referring to the odd exchange we've had thus far.

Paul chuckled lightly to himself and nodded. The smile that graced his lips was unlike anything I've ever seen – if he was beautiful before, all tense and shaking, then he was godly now. I drank him in again and his eyes darkened. Paul reached out to me, I'm sure aware of my watchful gaze, and rested his hand on mine.

"Is this okay? I'm sorry, I just…I need to be closer to you somehow." He said strained, as though he was fighting himself.

I looked down at his large, warm hand covering mine and couldn't help but notice how well our skin tones looked when placed next to each other. I haven't been touched by a guy in a long, long time – in fact, I adamantly avoided it. I haven't had a romantic experience in a while and so just the thought of someone touching me with that intent was almost uncomfortable. Well, at least it always had been? Why wasn't I feeling uncomfortable now? Did I get over that feeling? Was it irrelevant to me now? Confused with myself, I just nodded lamely and watched as Paul's gleaming smile returned full blast.

"So, secret service?" Paul asked, eyes moving from me to Faye, questioningly.

"We didn't really know what else to say to her. Roslynn is so curious that we needed to give her something or else she'd figure it out herself and, at the time, we didn't know if something like this was going to happen." Faye concluded.

"I suppose that works." Paul said, a hint of a smile still on his lips. "What you've been told isn't necessarily a lie, it's just not the full truth. Jacob, the pack and I are protectors of the community. Instead of being dressed in proper gear and using weapons, we…well, we shape shift into wolves to put it bluntly." He finished, dark eyes scanning my face, gaging my reaction.

Pack? Shape shift? Wolves? I sat for a moment, running the information through my head before turning to Faye, shoving her and laughing.

"Good one, Faye! Honestly, you've outdone yourself with this! Although I feel like I should be the one pranking you rather than the other way around!" I said through hysterical laughing. "And getting this hunk in on it? You really know the type that would swoon my stubborn ass, huh?" I turned to Paul who didn't look amused. "Good job, for real, good acting. Are you in the community theater or something? Just a quick pointer, you could have built the suspense instead of just stating it like some kind of fact." I shook my head, the giggles dying down into an uncomfortable silence.

I cleared my throat and shifted my gaze between the both of them, neither of their faces holding a trace of humor.

"You can't be serious?" I said, crossing my arms over my chest. Paul looked saddened at the loss of contact. What was with that? All of the intense gazes, longing looks and his constant reaching out to me? What the hell was going on?

I stood up abruptly and turned to face them.

"You're serious? You think you're a wolf? Faye, you believe this shit?" I asked, my voice panicked and loud. This was like something you'd see on a television show except that was fictional.

Faye smiled softly and shrugged her shoulders. Though the atmosphere was tense, she looked completely calm, as if she knew this was the reaction she'd receive.

"Roslynn, I've seen it with my own eyes."

I looked at her in shock. She's seen it? Was she on drugs? Faye looked so serene, as if what she just stated didn't sound at all crazy to her.

"What do you mean you've seen it?" I exclaimed.

"Look, when Jacob was telling you about his job earlier, this is what he was referring to. Jacob can do the same thing that Paul can. In fact, the team he was talking about is Jacob's pack. He's the alpha and it's his responsibility to make sure that the secret stays hush hush. However, due to...circumstances, we can show you too, if you want." She finished.

My eyes widened and my hands fell limply to my sides. Show me? What? Was Paul going to run outside and thrash about until nothing happened but me trying to hold back inevitable laughter? That may just make this whole 'prank' or whatever it was worth it.

"Show me, huh? Okay, let's go – show me." I said determined. Both Faye and Paul stood and the three of us made our way out the back door. Faye's back yard was like a small piece of paradise. Earlier, I was so eager to get to the beach that I didn't really take in how lovely it was. Trees surrounded the small field-like area, wildflowers in full bloom and a small garden in the back left corner. Garden? Wow, Faye was really keeping herself occupied. It was honestly nice to see.

As we came to a stop, Faye remained by my side while Paul walked out further in front of us.

"Roslynn, before I change, I want you to know that there's nothing to be afraid of. Keep in mind that we're protectors and – "

"Yeah, yeah wolf boy let's get on with it." I said sharply, excited to watch the God of a man roll around in the grass and flail about.

I caught the amused glint in Paul's eye before he started to vibrate. Big whoop, I've already seen him do that several times today. All of a sudden, the vibrating grew stronger, the whole of his body convulsing.

"Um, Faye, is he okay?" I asked, a bit worried now at the way his form began to contort.

"Trust me, he's more than okay." She stating, a knowing grin slapped on her face.

My eyes turned back to Paul only he wasn't standing there anymore. In his place was a bear sized wolf, shards of clothing scattered around his body. I stumbled back, taking in the scene before me, my brain not being able to comprehend what the hell was going on.

"P-paul?" My voice quivered and was soft. As if the monstrous animal understood me, it nodded, its mouth stretching into a mangled grin. With that, my body gave out on my and I collapsed into darkness.

* * *

"No, Jacob, go ahead out to the bonfire. I promise I'll be on my best behavior and we'll be out once she wakes up."

That voice – I wanted more of it. It was smooth and rough and just perfect.

"Yes, I'll tell her about the imprint. Do you think I'd keep that from her? It's kind of the most important part."

He was angry. Why?

"At least I didn't phase in front of her behind a supermarket and almost expose the pack, Jacob." The voice seethed. "I know what's best for her. I'll see you soon, okay?"

I heard a door close and a frustrated sigh. I pushed myself to open my eyes and my gaze landed on a very distressed looking Paul. Paul – the big, grey, bear-sized wolf. The magical, shape-shifting, should probably check my food and water to make sure I haven't been slipped some drugs Paul.

"And so she wakes." He teased.

My eyes scanned the room for Faye, both disappointed and relieved to realize I was alone with Paul. A very, very close Paul. He was sitting in a small chair, making it look like a child's toy with his large body placed in it.

"Where's Faye?" I asked, sitting up. Ah, I was back in my bed.

"She's down on the beach. Jacob planned a bonfire tonight to celebrate your arrival – pack tradition when someone had a visitor. Everyone would love to meet you if you're up to it. There are just a couple more things that we should talk about before."

I sighed and swung my legs over the side of the bed, facing him head on.

"How could there possibly be more?" I groaned, unamused when he chuckled softly. "Can we talk about this as we walk to the beach? I could really use the fresh air." I mumbled, suddenly feeling confined in the room with him.

"Sure, I'll let you get freshened up and meet you downstairs." Freshened up? Was I not "fresh"? I took a deep breath and calmed down. I was naturally defiant when it came it people ordering me around or telling me what to do and while Paul was really doing neither, I was just on edge and chose to take it that way. I glanced down at my dress to find it muddied and covered in grass stains. Okay, freshening up didn't sound too bad.

With that, Paul rose for him chair and left the room. I stood up, stretched and made my way to the bathroom. I quickly washed myself and picked out a new set of clothes: white halter, high-waisted shorts and burnt orange flats. My hair was still damp but, luckily, it would eventually dry into curls. I picked out some matching earrings, slapped on a little tinted chapstick and brushed my lashes with a little mascara. I stood there staring myself down in the mirror, questioning my actions. Usually, I wore makeup only for myself. It made me feel a little more confident but my mind couldn't help but wonder to Paul and if he'd think I was more attractive now that I was cleaned up and no longer looking like a dead walrus. A long flight never treated anyone well. That plus finding out that your best friend was living with a gang of shape shifting wolves and I'm sure I looked even _worse_ than a dead walrus. I groaned softly to myself and made my way to where Paul was waiting in the backyard.

He turned to me and I could feel his eyes roam over my body, causing me to blush furiously. Paul's eyes visibly darkened and I could feel my head swirl with more questions. Why did I feel this pull around him? Why did he always look as though he wanted to eat me alive? And why was Jacob ordering him to stay behaved? Actually, what was with that ordering thing at all?

"What are you thinking about, beautiful?" He asked quietly.

I glanced up at him and shrugged lightly.

"What did Jacob mean when he said that he would order you away from me?"

Paul chuckled, a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Jacob is the alpha of the pack and, therefore, he is able to order us around. His command is definite and our bodies automatically respond, regardless if we want it to or not. It's for our own safety most of the time but, trust me little one, no one would be able to keep me away from you." He finished with a wink and I felt my blush deepen.

"Gotcha." I replied quickly, scanning my brain for another question. "Faye said that no one is supposed to know your secret, so why am I able to know?"

Paul turned abruptly from me and began walking towards the forest with me right on his heels. If he wanted to talk then, by God, he would talk.

"Hey, wait up!" I reached out and grabbed his shoulder but pulled back quickly, feeling a spark travel through my body.

"Okay, what is that?" I exclaimed, frustrated.

"What is what?" He asked, but his eyes betrayed him – he knew exactly what I was talking about

"The pull between us." I stated bluntly, humoring him. He better not get used to that. I watched as his whole body relaxed and he shot me a prideful grin.

"That's because you're mine." He stated gleefully and I huffed, aggravated.

"Let's get something straight right now, I belong to no one."

And que tense, angry Paul. Suddenly, he was very close to me and with his body bending down, his gaze pierced into mine.

"That's where you're wrong, Roslynn. You're mine and you know it, your body knows it. I can hear how fast your heart beats whenever you look at me. Even now, you have that beautiful blush." He said, his fingers brushing my cheek.

I swatted his hand away from me fiercely.

"You haven't answered the question." I hissed in his face. Paul sighed and pulled away, giving me a look as if to say we weren't finished.

"Roslynn, you're my imprint. That's why you can know about us and that's why you feel this way." He stated as though I knew exactly what he meant.

"Care to explain further?" I huffed.

At this point we were walking through the forest and I could see the gleam of the fire up ahead. He'd better make this fast. I looked over at him to find that he actually looked nervous.

"Roslynn, there's a reason that our kind shift. There's a bigger threat to humanity, a lethal threat, which no one is aware of. That is who we protect humanity from."

"What is it?" I asked, suddenly entranced by his serious tone.

"We call them the cold ones although I'm sure you'd know them as vampires. They aren't at all like the vampires that you'd see in film or read about in novels, they're worse."

Vampires? Is he serious? Well, I guess if he was able to somehow turn into a massive wolf, anything was possible.

"A long time ago, we noticed that we had begun to shift into wolves whenever there was a clan of cold ones present on our territory. Though they're incredibly strong, fast and deadly, we're stronger, faster and even more deadly." He continued, prideful. "Over the years, we realized that the change wasn't random, it was passed down through genes. Our pack believed that the genes are passed down through an imprint, or, the individual's soulmate. The elder's thought that it was rare but in our most recent pack, five of us have already imprinted on their mates. Jacob imprinted on Faye and I have imprinted on you, Roslynn. You're my soulmate."

The two of us came to a stop right as the forest met the shore, the laughing from everyone down at the bonfire meshed with the crashing waves was the only noise filling the silence. Paul stared me down, waiting for me to say something.

Soulmate? I was Paul's soulmate? Okay, everything else spoke for itself. I saw a man rip out of his own skin and turn into a wolf but…soulmate? This couldn't be happening. I didn't want this to happen. Yes, I could feel an undeniable pull to him and as much as I wanted to say it was just because he was an attractive male, I knew in my heart that there was so much more.

So, in a Roslynn like fashion, I took a deep breath and ran like hell.

 **AN: Thank you again for reading Let the River In - I'm trying to update as frequently as I'm able so I hope that everyone is enjoying it**! **Also, what are your thoughts on my chapter from Paul's perspective? I know many like the change of perspective while others don't. What's your opinion and would you like to see more of it? I hope you all have an** **outstanding** **day**! !


	5. It's a Beautiful World

**AN: Here we go again with chapter five! Another huge thank you to everyone who left a review – especially Mandastewart07 who has been leaving many helpful and heart-lifting reviews! I hope that you all enjoy this next chapter! Happy Sunday!**

 _So, in a Roslynn like fashion, I took a deep breath and ran like hell._

As the sounds from the crowd around the bonfire grew closer, I felt that I was safe. At the same time, I almost felt guilty for running out on Paul – I felt childish. I slowed to a steady walk and the faces of the people around the bonfire grew familiar. Faye, Jacob, Embry and Quil were all there among some others, big smiles on their faces and bellowing laughs all around.

Finally close enough to feel the heat from the monstrous fire, I slapped a small smile on my face and decided to push my way through the night. So what if Paul thought I was his soulmate? There wasn't any way that he could actually prove that to me and for all I knew, everyone in this town could be under some strange spell anyways. Did Jacob swoon Faye with that crazy talk? Is that why they got married so quickly? I suppose if some handsome, shape-shifting giant approached you stating that they were you're soul mate, most girls would melt to the floor. Faye, I know for a fact, would have melted to the floor and then some. Ugh, I wanted nothing to do with that bullshit. Soulmates, destined love, all if it was a big lie to make us feel special to at least to one person. People change their minds all the time though – sometimes you like chocolate, other times vanilla. The way people feel about others is no different…regardless if you already have a family with them or not. I shook my head to rid myself of the ghosts of the past, noticing that the crowd around the fire was slowly shifting their gaze towards me. I nodded towards them and made my way towards Faye.

The shape shifting I couldn't deny, I continued with my thoughts, I'd seen it with my own eyes as remarkable as that sounds. It was cool in a weird, comic-book universe sort of way. As much as I wanted to say that this was all some giant prank or that the town was all high on hallucinogens, there was evidence all around me. Even here at the bonfire, every single guy was massive in height and were all built beyond belief. They chatted as if they'd known each other their entire lives and all moved with an odd synchronicity. They all had to be a part of the pack - no doubting that. Still, none of them, as handsome as they were, could measure up to Paul. Wait, no, no more thinking like that. I internally sighed. Damn him and his charming face.

"Roslynn! How are you feeling?" Faye asked, worried, though her eyes were scanning the forest behind me.

"I'm fine, Faye, just fine. Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Faye nodded quickly and we both headed towards the ocean, taking a seat on the sand.

"So did Paul tell you about – "

"Yep." I answered quickly. "Is he insane or do you believe that crap too?"

Faye frowned and looked down at the ground, making patterns in the sand mindlessly.

"Of course I believe it. You should give him a chance, Ros. I know it sounds crazy but he's not lying to you. Look at Jacob and I. I've never been so happy and he makes me feel like the most special woman alive. I don't know why or how but somehow I made my way here to La Push and found someone who is just as perfect for me as I am for him." She said quietly as if not to anger me. She knew very well how much I disliked the idea of romance. Of course, I am human. The idea of love is appealing and I think it's magical but when something has been tainted beyond repair, there's no use in it. I couldn't let myself be hurt like I'd seen so many others let themselves be hurt.

"Faye, you know me. I can't do that, regardless if it's the truth or not."

A growl from behind us caused both Faye and I to whip our heads around and stand up. A very angry Paul was being held back by two of the men from the pack, his eyes piercing me. I sighed and brushed the sand off my shorts – this growling, roaring, whatever it was is really starting to get on my nerves. I get it, you're a wolf, but it's not intimidating anyone.

Faye and I walked back over to the fire where Jacob had now taken control of the situation.

"Paul, calm down, man!" He said, his hands placed on top of Paul's shoulders. "The more you act this way, the farther you'll push her from you. You need to calm down if she's ever going to give you a chance."

"She ran from me." Paul hissed, his chest rising and falling quickly.

I angrily marched up and planted my feet beside Jacob, arms crossed over my chest.

"I have legs, don't I? I'm allowed to run, aren't I? You do not control me, Paul whatever your last name is, and you never will." I stated firmly, hearing a couple chuckles from the others around me.

"You're my mate. Mine. Nothing is going to keep me from you and I will always be here for you – from now until we're married like Faye and Jacob are, and further. You're my whole future regardless of whether you see it now or not. Why is it so hard for you to understand and accept that?" He snapped, his eyes narrowing as he glared at me.

"Just because you suddenly believe that you have this cave man claim on me doesn't mean that it has changed the way I view my life. You will not stop me from what I want to do here, you will not stop me from pursuing a future that is solely mine and, guess what, you will not stop me from packing my bags and leaving once this trip comes to an end." I finished with my voice louder than I realized.

I watched as Paul's face fell and his shoulders sank, realization seeping into his eyes.

"You're not staying in La Push?" He murmured.

"Of course I'm not staying here. I came to visit Faye, nothing else." I stated harshly, stepping away from him. "Sorry to disappoint you, but you may want to find someone else to stake your claim on because it will not ever be me."

A strangled sob came from Paul and I had to turn my eyes away from his face – it looked like he had shattered into a million pieces.

I turned and walked away down the beach, trying to ignore the wide-eyed stares from the rest of the crowd. I felt embarrassed and almost hurt. If it wasn't for his dominating attitude, maybe I would have given Paul a chance. I don't even know him – hell, I've never really had a conversation about anything other than him being a wolf or being his imprint. I sighed and sat down on a piece of driftwood, letting my head fall into my hands. Was I being too harsh? He looked like a broken man when I left him, his eyes were lifeless. Why did I care? I was just being sympathetic, right? I felt an aching in my chest and did my best to ignore it.

"Hey, you okay?"

I looked up to see Jacob looking down at me with genuine pity.

"Yeah, dandy." I stated with a soft sigh.

He sat down next to me on the log and neither of us said anything for a while.

"I'm sorry about Paul…" I whispered and I was. I had no intention of hurting him, I just had to protect myself. I knew how this story played out. As much as I would have loved to have met him, gone on a couple dates and ended up just like Jacob and Faye, I couldn't help but listen to my head rather than my heart. Love stories like theirs only come around once in a lifetime, if that. Like I said, I've seen love wreck everything and I refuse to let it wreck my life or Paul's.

"Don't worry about it, Roslynn. Paul can be quite the handful, trust me, we all know that." He said, laughing lightly.

"I don't mean to disrespect your pack or belief, Jacob, but I can't honestly believe that what he was telling me was the truth. There's no such thing as 'the one'. I've heard that too many times…I've seen too many people destroyed by believing stuff like that exists." I mumbled, glancing over at him apologetically.

"Not to touch on sensitive matters but Faye told me about your past so I know why you feel the way that you do. Don't worry, we didn't get in depth or anything, she just missed you, liked to talk about you, so I let her. It's understandable why you feel the way you do, I get it. Though my past can't be compared to yours, I do know what tolls love can take." He stated simply. I wasn't upset that Faye told someone about my childhood - I was the one who generally had the big mouth about it. Somehow, having Jacob know about it made me feel a tad vulnerable, like confessing that you've done something wrong or admitting that you have a crush on someone.

"You do? What do you mean?" I questioned.

"My father never phased, there were no cold one's around to cause the pack to shift, so he was able to live a peaceful life compared to those who now exist in the pack. However, that didn't make him immune to the troubles life brings to everyone. My father met my mother and they began to have a family: my two sisters, Rebecca and Rachel, and myself. When I was young, too young to remember, my mom and dad were in a horrible car accident and my mother passed away. My two sisters were so upset with the loss that they eventually moved away and my dad had to raise me by himself. At that time, he became very sick which ultimately led to his paralysis. My Dad fell in love with my mom and that lead them to go on a romantic trip that lead to her death. My sisters loved my mom so much that they couldn't stand being around the constant reminders of her so they left. My Dad loved my mom so much that her death lead to his heartbreak and him not taking better care of himself. Now, I could take all of what I've experienced and give love a big fuck you, right? It would be so easy. If no one fell in love, no one would have experienced hardship. At the same time though, the happiness that we did experience would never have existed. I would have never existed and wouldn't have met Faye. My two sisters wouldn't have moved away, wouldn't have the great careers and marriages they do now. Out of sorrow comes serenity. As much as I'd love to have my mother by my side now, I know that she's still with me and that life moves on." He finished with a light smile.

I sat there in silence and pondered all that Jacob had to say. His life was full of tragedy and he had more right than anyone to be mad at the world, to be mad at love. Yet, here he sits as happy as can be, providing knowledge and guidance to the pack, loving my best friend like no one could and sitting with my temperamental ass giving me life lessons. Long story short, he was trying to tell me to give Paul a chance.

"I'm not asking you to run off to Paul and marry him today, Roslynn. But I do believe that the great spirits have put our imprints in our paths for a reason. Ask him for his perspective, listen to what he has to say and get to know him. Like I said, Paul can be a stubborn asshole, but he cares for the pack like they're his family. He's compassionate, protective and can be the most caring person you'll ever know. You don't have to decide on anything today, tomorrow or even by the end of the week and Paul knows that as well. As pushy as he seems, he would never force you into something that you really, truly didn't want. Right now, his wolf is at the surface of his being, clawing its way out to try to dominate and protect you. Once his wolf subsides, things will be different. I know I may be asking for a lot from you, put try your best to push that side of him out of your mind and talk with him. It may be the best thing that you ever do."

Without waiting for me to reply, he swiftly got up and stretched. He gave me a bright smile and reached out his hand, helping me up off my spot on the driftwood.

"Thank you, Jacob." I said softly. "I'm really happy that you and Faye have found each other. Thank you for making her happy and feel loved – she needed it more than anyone I know."

Jacob rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, a soft blush in his cheeks.

"She's my soulmate and I'd do anything for her. There's no need to thank me, Roslynn – I just hope everything works out and that everyone ends up happy."

With that, Jacob turned and made his way back to the bonfire. I knew in my heart that Jacob was right, I knew that I should give Paul a chance and at least talk to him. My parent's story did not have to be my own – I don't need to cheat myself out of happiness just because of the fear that instilled itself into me. I sighed and started after Jacob towards the fire…towards Paul.

Paul was standing by the collection of wood, staring into the fire with wild eyes. No matter how many times I allowed myself to look at him, I was still shocked at how someone so large and masculine could at the same time be graceful and even beautiful. I approached him quietly, fidgeting with my hands.

"Hey." I said softly, keeping my eyes on the fire. I could feel his eyes on me and my cheeks burned.

"Hey." He replied, his voice sounded sorrowful but relieved.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you and running away from everything…twice." I admitted, ashamed.

"Don't be sorry, Roslynn. I deserved it."

I turned to look at him then, his eyes burning into mine.

"Look, I can't just jump into something like this and I can't promise you that everything will turn out okay in the end but I'd like to get to know you…at least." I finished, watching as his eyes widened and a smile creep across his lips.

"I can do that. How about breakfast tomorrow, then? I can show you around La Push more and we can get to know each other?" He asked, hopeful.

I smiled up at him, unable to not reciprocate when I saw his smile brighten.

"Deal – but just as friends." I said quickly.

He laughed and shook his head but nodded.

"Just as friends…for now."

I rolled my eyes and playfully punched him. I don't know where this would lead – for all I know this could be the very thing that brings me to my knees and breaks me…in the best or worst of ways. Cheers to finding out.

 **AN: Fin**! **I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and I** **apologize** **if it's a bit short. Jacob to me has always seemed like this big brother / dad character so I really wanted to portray him as such in this story. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask**! **Other than that, I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your Sunday :D**


	6. Sunrays

**AN: Here's chapter five! It's a tad chilly and gloomy where I live today so I'm drinking some tea (Twilight tea as funny as that it – mix of chamomile, lavender and black tea). It's definitely my kind of day so hopefully this chapter is extra magical!**

The room was a damn mess – I mean a bloody damn mess. I think every piece of clothing that I brought from home was on the floor, including some of Faye's and, yes, even some of Jacob's. What? Sometimes the oversized look was a little cute! Unfortunately Jacob's clothes were a little _too_ oversized. The thin, tall mirror that Faye had propped up on the wall had been moved several times just to make sure I looked okay in every lighting. I don't know why I was so worried about looking good for Paul. I'm trying to tell myself that I'd be doing the same thing if I was going out alone or with friends but, let's be honest here, that's not true. But why did I want to look good for him? I mean we were just friends going out for a simple breakfast, right? So why bother?

"Faye!" I called out, waiting to hear the sound of her footsteps approach the door.

"What's up? I've already brought you half of my closet"

"I know, I know. I've just decided that I don't care too much and am putting the responsibility of picking out my outfit in your hands. I can't be bothered."

Faye just giggled and shook her head.

"Okay, if that's what you want!" She said in a musical tone.

As she picked out my clothes, I quickly ran to the bathroom to take care of my hair. Luckily my dark hair was already in soft, natural curls. Good – one less thing to do. I quickly put some mascara on and a light swipe of a dark rose shade of lipstick. At least my face looked okay – back to the outfit.

Faye had laid out an olive green, calf-length dress with some simple flats. So simple, but perfect for this occasion where I supposedly didn't care but also wanted to look presentable. I changed quickly, thanking her with a giant bear hug before heading out into the living room area where I plopped down on the couch, fiddling with my hands.

"Nervous?" Faye questioned when she caught up to me.

"There's nothing to be nervous about!" I stated simply, shrugging.

Faye rolled her eyes and patted my knee.

"Sure, Ros. We've been friends for how long? I've never seen you get this way about someone."

I crossed my arms and remained silent, trying to think of something to say.

"Well, it's because…you see Paul is…I think it's because he's stubborn and hard headed and a bit like me in most ways. Plus he's a wolf as well so that's…something. Oh! It's because I need to prove myself to him. That I don't need a man or whatever. Yeah, that's it."

Faye giggled and nodded. Even I knew that was a bullshit reply but at this point I don't know why I'm feeling the way I do.

"Oh, okay, makes sense. So you got up early, tested out every perfume I had and then showered because you smelled like a department store to prove that you're independent? Let's also not forget the clothing hurricane that blew through your room this morning as well? You're definitely proving yourself to him! For sure!" She teased, blowing off my scattered answer.

I sighed and uncrossed my arms – she got me.

"I just don't really know what to think of everything, alright? I don't want to get his hopes up for anything because I don't know how I really feel. Nothing against you, Faye, but Jacob is everything you've ever looked for in someone so when you found him, it was as easy as breathing for you it seemed. I have a lot of scars and a lot of hurt I need to figure out before I let someone get that close." I finished.

"Roslynn, once you give him a chance, you'll realize that it can be as easy as breathing too. I know that you're still put off by the whole 'imprinting' thing but Paul was made for you. Though right now he's a little much to handle, your relationship to him has been designed by the spirits to meet your every need. He can be of any relation to you – best friend, brother, husband. I know what you're thinking already because I thought the same thing – how can someone be made for you and only you? Do they have a choice or can they be their authentic self? Did this magical being put Paul on this Earth without allowing him any choice of wanting someone else? Is the pull you feel some kind of fake, magical plan put into effect so that the werewolf gene could be passed down efficiently?"

My eyes widened – if I hadn't thought over most of those things, I sure as hell was now. My heart started pounding away in my chest, panicked. Faye immediately grabbed my hands, realizing that I was now freaking out.

"Roslynn! Calm down! Listen, I'm going to explain myself. Paul wasn't made that way for you, he's always been this way and just so happens to compliment you more than anyone else who has been or ever will be. Think of it this way, if the imprint never existed, you two would have still found each other. In every situation possible, in every fairytale ending, it would have been you and Paul – the imprint it just a catalyst. That's all." She finished, warily eyeing me.

"So being with Paul is inevitable?" I asked, feeling both a little cautious and relieved at the same time.

"Essentially, but let him explain honestly! I'm so bad at things like this and I don't want you having another panic attack!"

I laughed and nodded, feeling a little confused but deciding that the rest would have to be explained by Paul himself.

Right on que, there was a knock on the door and my heart leapt into my throat. I got up off the couch and opened the door, blown away yet again at how handsome Paul really was. His long hair had been pulled back into a braid – highlighting his high cheekbones and defined jawline. I internally smiled to find that we unintentionally matched. His chest was covered with an olive green shirt, dark jeans hanging low on his hips – he looked absolutely scrumptious. Blushing, I looked back up to him to find that he was devouring me in just the same way. He looked up at me, eyes dark.

"Breakfast?" He questioned.

"Breakfast." I confirmed.

Paul took my hand greedily, a warm shock traveling through the whole of my body as he led me over to his beat up vehicle. In the car, we were silent, I'm sure both not certain what to say to fill the silence. Finally, Paul looked over at me and gave me a soft smile.

"Do you have anything against picnics?" He questioned, pulling down an unpaved path.

"They're actually preferred in my books." I said, looking outside of the window intently.

"I'll keep that in mind." He said, chuckling.

We pulled up to a patch of grass and came to a stop. Paul jumped out of the car and headed to pull things from the truck when I ventured out to figure out where we were. I discovered quickly that we were on a cliff by the ocean – it was stunning.

"I hope that you're hungry."

I turned around to find that Paul had laid a hand-woven blanket down over the grass and had placed several different food items out varying from fruit to bagels to cinnamon buns.

"Wow! Paul, this is awesome!" I said smiling brightly, earning an even brighter smile from him.

"It's nothing really. I just thought this would be a better way to get to know each other rather than sitting in a crowded restaurant. Discussing werewolf lore among other things isn't usually something to do in public." He said, handing me a cup of coffee that he'd poured from a thermos. He really thought of everything, didn't he?

Paul and I sat in awkward silence, both sipping on our coffee and stealing glances at each other.

"So, getting to know each other?" He began, eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, that would be nice!"

"Okay – I guess a game of 20 questions is the easiest way, right?" He asked, uncomfortable. I watched him curiously – was this Paul's first time with a girl? I mean, that couldn't be right. Looking the way he does, even with the attitude problem, he had to have girls dying to kiss his feet, right? Still, there he said, messing with his hands and a light blush on his cheeks.

"20 questions is good!" I replied, trying to act calm in hopes that it would calm him down as well.

"Alright then, first question: favorite fruit?"

Favorite fruit? Was he serious? Maybe this really was his first time with a girl? My heart sped up at the thought. Okay, we'd continue this way and see where it goes. My eyes scanned the layout in front of me and I grabbed a container of my favorite fruit.

"Watermelon – fruit of the Gods." I said happily, popping a piece into my mouth, humming with delight. I felt some of the juice fall past my lips and Paul reached over instinctually, wiping off the juice that had dripped down my chin. For a moment we sat there, staring into each other's eyes. I don't think I'd been this close to him yet. I could make out how soft his lips actually were – so appealing. I pulled away suddenly, blushing furiously.

"What do you think of imprinting?" I questioned quickly, trying to cool myself down.

Paul sighed and shrugged.

"To be completely honest, I've always been nervous about it. I'm not sure if you know from what Faye or Jacob has told you already but imprinting was supposed to be a rarity in the pack. Including me, five out of the ten in our pack have no imprinted. Usually, only an alpha would imprint to produce the best genes for the pack. It's the same in nature, usually only an alpha couple would mate to prevent from overpopulation. The gene can still be passed down without an imprint, but the pairing usually provides a stronger wolf with stronger genes. Now that most of us have imprinted, it's a little strange and worrisome. While the elders were more nervous about why everyone was imprinting, I was more nervous about how my imprint would be, how we'd interact. Every wolf that imprinted meant that the chances of me imprinting were more and more likely. "

"Why were you nervous?" I asked, wondering why finding your soulmate would cause someone to be nervous. I mean, I supposed it would be nerve-wracking in a general sense, but Paul seemed distressed.

"I thought it was one question at a time?" He teased.

I rolled my eyes playfully but he answered.

"When a pack member imprints, the first few days to weeks are ruled by their wolf. As you can probably guess from my behavior, the wolf part of us mainly projects our raw emotions and distinct parts of our personality. What we can normally control, the wolf finds it hard to. This can be beneficial to us though, as strange as it sounds. When we're called to protect, we feel the need to protect fiercely. When we need to rip vampires apart piece by piece, we do it with a furiousness that can't be challenged by anything else. However, when it comes to our imprints, it's a little different. As a pack, the feelings tend to be mutual but when it comes to our imprints, each of us has a different story, a different way that their wolf went about it. For Jacob, who's normally a ray of sunshine, things went along pretty easily. Faye seems to reflect him in many ways so they were very lucky. Of course, Jacob was still protective and a little possessive of her as an alpha wolf would be with his mate, but they equally ran the show for the most part. For me, I've always been hot headed and stubborn meaning that when I imprinted, as you saw, I'd become very aggressive – I'd never wanted someone so badly in my life. I've never felt something so strong, something so consuming. Before, I was nervous because I was afraid that you wouldn't understand my behavior, get scared, and run away which is exactly what happened." He finished, a sorrowful look in his eyes.

For a moment, I felt horribly guilty for what happened between Paul and I. This man who was obviously looking forward to imprinting, was also terrified of it as well. My running away and denying him confirmed his fears which evidently took quite the toll on him. I shook the feeling off, also remembering that I had no idea what was going on at the time and that my feelings were completely natural. Even so, I did feel bad for him in that moment.

"Paul, don't worry about the past, okay? It's already behind us and I'm sitting here with you now so something had to go right, correct?"

Paul nodded, laughing softly.

"I suppose that's true. My turn, right?" He asked.

I nodded and watched as he sat there, thinking of something to ask while munching on a cinnamon roll. How I would love to taste that on him, cinnamon on cinnamon. I shook myself of the thought – he was too damn distracting.

"I know that I was an ass when we met, but why are you so afraid to let someone in? To let someone love you?"

I sighed – knew that one was coming.

"It's kind of a long story." I said, shrugging. "Are you sure you want me to ruin the mood we have going on here?"

"I want to know, Roslynn. I want to know everything about you." He said seriously.

"Then I guess that's a good place to start." I said, looking away from his concentrated gaze. "My mother was a lot like me when she was younger, before she met my dad. She went to school, got her degree and was planning on living an independent life. My mom wanted to travel and see the world, she didn't want to remain in one place her whole life. So, she became a flight attendant and saw the world, even had a penthouse apartment in New York – life was really good for her. Then she met my dad and fell head over heels for him. They got married, she sold her dream apartment and even quit her job. She didn't travel at all after that, especially once I came around. When I was older, I realized that my dad never wanted someone like her, someone who wanted to become what she wanted to become. He was a very conservative man who wanted a stay at home wife who cooked, cleaned and took care of the children. My mother was young and impressionable and a perfect candidate for the wife he was looking for and that's what he molded her into. This isn't to say I had a horrible childhood because I had a rather normal one. Thought, I was obviously a lot closer to my mother as my father wasn't a very…personable man. He was always distant and serious, never wanting to play with me or read to me but he had his kinder moments." I sighed, picking at the grass by my thigh.

"I was mad at my mother for a long time for letting my father do that to her, for letting herself and her dreams go. She loved him, though, and mistook loving him for giving up on herself as though love was a give and take interaction in which she gave and he took – she thought it made him happier. When I was eleven, my dad confessed that he'd been cheating on my mom for five years. Five years. The worst part was that the woman my dad was seeing was exactly who my mom wanted to be. She was gorgeous, active, and traveled freely as a passionate photographer. My dad changed, his feelings about who and what he wanted changed. Regardless of all my mom had given, of the house they'd purchased together, and regardless of me, my dad still freely gave it all up without looking back. My mom was broken, completely devastated. Luckily for me, she was strong through it. She closed her feelings inside and still tried to be the best mom that she could to me, raising me to go out in be independent, to live my life to the fullest before finally settling down. My mother is the best person that I know and the strongest. I never saw my dad again and I don't ever want to. From that point on, I promised myself to never let the same thing happen to me – to never be controlled or give up on what I love because I think it'll make someone else happier. My mother never liked me saying things like that, though. She agreed that I should never give up on who I want to be or what I want to pursue in life, but she believes that I shouldn't give up on love and the happiness that it could bring me." I finished, glancing up to meet Paul's eyes, anticipating a cocky come back telling me that all is different when you have a wolf soul mate. Instead, his gaze was gentle, caring, and most of all, understanding.

"Roslynn, I think your mother is right. You should never have to sacrifice who you are because you want to make someone else happy – you're perfect the way that you are and if someone can't see that, then they're not the right person for you." He said unquestionably. "No offense to your father or to your family, but he was not the right one for your mother to begin with. She deserved someone who met her and was absolutely captivated by the way that she was, who she was, never wanting to change her. That's someone that everyone deserves and I'm so sorry that you and your family had to experience that." He said genuinely.

"Things like this happen, Paul. That's why I'm so closed off to the idea. I saw what my mother went through and even what Faye went through and I don't want that to happen to me."

Paul nodded, reaching out to hold my hands.

"Roslynn, I know that everything that's happened between us in the past couple of days has been stressful on you and has brought up unwanted feelings and for that I'm sorry. I wish that I had known so that I wouldn't have brought up those feelings within you. The imprint doesn't have to be romantic or move any further than this, okay? I just want you to feel safe and be happy being you."

I looked at him confused, aware of how perfectly our hands seemed to mold together, as though they were made of the same clay.

"I thought that imprinting was mainly for passing down the gene?" I asked.

"Roslynn, that's one of the many reasons that we imprint but not the main or only one. Having a soul mate calms you, gives you someone to love and to fight for. Think about how lonely life would be without a companion, without a best friend? Knowing that we have someone that loves us and that we love pushes us to be better, allows us to rely on someone, and just simply makes us happier. It's just a wonderful, wolfy perk. We would have found each other regardless, imprint or no imprint. That goes to say that I never, ever want to make you feel upset or unlike yourself. I want you to know and believe that."

Paul's gaze reached my soul – it was honest and kind. I knew he was telling the truth and though I know somewhere he felt disappointment, I could tell that he really did want me to feel comfortable and to not push myself into something I didn't want. That was the problem, though. I don't know what I want now. One moment I'm haunted with the thought of turning into my mother and the next I'm dreaming about licking cinnamon bun icing off his abs. I internally groaned feeling as though I was a little late when it came to feeling confused about boys.

"Thank you, Paul. It really means a lot to me that you say that – I know that it can't be easy for you."

He laughed and shook his head, collecting the leftover food in front of me.

"Roslynn, I don't think you see that I win either way. Regardless of how things turn out, I just want you to be happy and realize that I will always be here for you, romantically or platonically."

I nodded with a smile and helped him clean up. Once we were back in the car, Paul rolled down the windows and I closed my eyes, happy to feel the sun warming my skin.

"So, my turn right?" I asked, peeking over at him, admiring the way his one hand loosely held the steering wheel and the other was riding the waves of the wind outside the window.

"I believe that it is." He said with a goofy grin.

"Hmm." I thought, letting my eyes wander the inside of his car to try to gain information on him. Paul was surprisingly clean, his vehicle spotless. My gaze landed on the radio.

"Favorite music? Song? Whatever?" I asked.

"I'm a fan of older rock and jazz, typically. My dad used to play it a lot whenever we worked in the garage together on cars. It stuck." He said nostalgically. "Favorite book?" He asked, not wasting time.

"That's a trick question." I laughed. "I read quite a lot and like a lot of different books for different reasons. Usually I stick to non-fiction, poetry or novels that have a lot of surrealist undertones like Murakami. Favorite type of movie?"

Paul shrugged sheepishly.

"Romance." He stated simply.

"Romance?" I asked, bewildered.

"What's so wrong with that? As a guy who is forced into a superhero role, I live an action filled life every day. I'm basically a monster so that adds horror into my life as well. The only thing I'm missing is romance – watching those movies fulfills an empty part of my life."

I looked at him wide-eyed, his face was completely serious.

"Most guys would be kind of…shy to admit they like chick flicks." I said with a light laugh.

"There's no point in lying to my soul mate, right? Besides, I don't need you to think I'm cool or anything, I have nothing to prove to you. I'm more focused on being my true self – it's been a long time since I've been this way with someone by choice."

"What do you mean by choice?" I questioned.

"It's a pack thing. When we're wolves, we can hear each other's thoughts and see each other's memories. It helps when we encounter something or need an update."

"That's a bit invasive." I couldn't imagine sharing my each and every thought with someone. Well, in Paul's case, nine other people – yikes.

"Like I said, it's beneficial when it's important but, yes, it can be a hassle." He ended with a light chuckle.

The rest of the day continued in a lazy, spectacular fashion. Paul took me on several trails through the woods and down to different nearby beaches. There were several moments for the both of us that reminded us of how attracted we were to each other. We stopped for ice cream in the later afternoon and I blushed under his darkened gaze as a bit melted and fell onto my chest. At the beach, Paul decided to show me how he and his pack dove off of cliffs into the ocean for fun. I watched as his body fell gloriously into the navy waves, almost having a heart attack as I watched him surface and meet me back on the shore half-naked. His chest heaved from excitement, droplets of the sea riding the curves of his muscles. I shoved his shirt at him and quickly made my way to his vehicle, blushing as I heard him howl with laughter behind me. Lastly was the moment he dropped me off at Faye's house as the sun had begun to set.

"This was really fun, Paul. Thank you for sharing today with me." I said, smiling up at him. In the golden light of the sunset, he looked like he was glowing.

"It was truly my pleasure, Roslynn. I hope that we get a chance to hang out again."

I nodded, my eyes locked with his. I blushed and Paul took a step closer to me, caressing my cheek with his warm hand. I let my eyes close at the sensation, sighing softly. When I opened my eyes, I found Paul's face only a couple inches from mine, his gaze set firmly on my lips. Nervously, I bit my bottom lip and his eyes visibly darkened. He crept closer, everything quiet around us, I could only focus on him.

"I'm going to kiss you." He said softly, asking more than telling.

I felt my head nod unconsciously and then his lips were suddenly on mine. I'd never kissed anyone before but I was sure that this is exactly what kissing your soul mate was supposed to be like. His lips were soft, almost like velvet. The sparks and shocks that ricocheted through my body was unlike anything I have ever experienced. My hands automatically wrapped around his neck and I felt his drop down to my waist, leaving a trail of fire. Kissing Paul was like fireworks on a day that wasn't the Fourth of July, the crash of a massive wave over your body, a train's horn in the dead of night – all mighty, all a little unexpected.

"Well, well, well – look what we have here." I heard a voice exclaim excitedly.

I pulled away from him quickly, almost whimpering at the loss of contact. What the hell was I doing? I messed up. I messed up, right? Then why didn't it feel like it. I glanced up at Paul to find his dark gaze trained on me.

"I heard you pull up but it was so quiet so I thought that I'd come out and check on you two." Faye said joyfully. "I was going to suggest that Roslynn and I have a girl's night but, hell, Paul why don't you stay too? Jacob is on patrol tonight and I know he'd feel safer with another wolf around." There was an evil glint in her eyes and I shot her a glare before looking over at Paul, silently pleading with him to say no.

"Sure, I think that sounds fun." He said, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.

What the hell had I gotten myself into?

 **AN: And that wraps up chapter five! I hope that you all enjoyed! I know the ending may be a bit confusing considering they just decided to be friends but there will be a discussion about it all later!** **Also, I thought it would kind of be fun to make a playlist for this song? I'll post the first six chapters songs here and then at the end of further chapters. Just something I thought to try out! Considering doing the next chapter from Paul's perspective and giving his thoughts on their first 'hanging out' and kiss – thoughts? Have a great rest of your day – thanks for reading :D**

 **Chapter one: Waves by Lewis Del Mar**

 **Chapter two: Colors by Barcelona**

 **Chapter three: Agape by Bears Den**

 **Chapter four: Hunting Happiness by W. Darling**

 **Chapter five: The Wolves by Ben Howard**

 **Chapter six: Fading by Vallis Alps**


	7. Agape

**AN : I am so sorry for the long break – a lot has happened : My birthday, my pipes completely collapsing due to roots from monster trees, my cat decided to push my laptop off the kitchen table – need I go on? Anyhow, I'm excited to get back to this story now that everything has, for the most part, been sorted out. Thank you so much for your patience!**

I was a big, fat fan of all horror movies. By this I mean every, single horror movie regardless of how shitty the graphics are, how many holes are scattered through the plot or how predictable the ending is. They all make my heart race, allow excitement and anxiety to run through my veins and, afterwards, make me feel ridiculously vulnerable and freaked out. All of this goes to say that my sweaty, nervous state has nothing to do with the fact a very shirtless Paul was sitting next to me…very close next to me – we're talking legs touching close.

After Faye so kindly offered for Paul to spend the night with us, we decided to head up to change into comfier clothes.

"How could you do this?" I hissed at her, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Faye gave me a knowing smile and pulled out a pair of Jacob's pajama bottoms for Paul to borrow.

"Listen, don't give me any attitude when you were the one practically about to set my house on fire with the passion you two were eating each other's faces with."

I could feel heat rush to my face.

"I don't know how I feel about all of this, Faye!" I exclaimed, obviously overwhelmed from both the memory of the kiss and the idea that he would be in the same house as me all night. "I've been here for two days and in that very, very short amount of time a lot has happened! Including, if you don't remember, me being told that the very person you've so generously invited to stay the night is my supposed one and only." I huffed.

"No." Faye said shortly, looking amused as she pulled out her own pajamas. "He's definitely your one and only."

I gaped at her, crossing my arms over my chest as if to protect myself from her wicked grin.

"Faye, this is a lot to handle. I don't know what I want or really what to think about all of this. It's a lot to take in and I haven't had a lot of time for it to sink in."

Faye and I had been through a lot together. Long enough, in fact, that we've come to realize we handle things very differently when it comes to life altering events. Faye jumps into things quickly and ignores any idea of consequence. I, on the other hand, think of nothing but consequences and while Paul and I discussed my past and why I am the way I am, things don't change overnight – especially if said hunk is spending that particular night in the same home as me.

"Roslynn, I know it's a lot and I know you need space. This is an innocent sleepover – honest! It's just a group of friends watching movies and stuffing their face! It's not like he's going to be sleeping in the same bed as you." She paused. "I mean, unless that's what you want!"

My arms dropped back down by my side and I glared at her fiercely.

"That's most definitely not going to happen, especially not tonight!" I spit out, leaving the room and heading to change into my own set of pajamas.

So, here we sit. Our legs are touching, my heart is racing and, yes, I'm still saying that's from the scary movie. I glanced over at Paul, watching as he stared straight into the television. He was even handsome from the side – his straight nose, full lips, and long eyelashes. Damn, did he have to look like a God from every angle? I watched as he stiffened slightly, his eyes slowly traveling away from the screen to glance at me from the side. I straightened up and quickly turned my head away – smooth one, Ros. After a couple seconds, I gathered up the courage to glance again, both delighted and embarrassed to see a smirk on his lips. Again, his eyes met mine but I didn't look away this time, I was too involved in my own thoughts.

Did I like Paul? Or did I just like the idea of him? No, not possible – with my history I would have to genuinely like someone to even consider letting things go further than friendship. So I liked him, right? Does that mean that I'm considering let this go further than friendship? My heart raced at the thought and Paul's raised an eyebrow.

"Are you alright?" He asked, a chuckle hiding in his throat.

"Yes!" I answered a little too quickly. "I just need…some…water! Yeah, water!" I rose to my feet and shuffled to the kitchen, grabbing a glass and setting in down on the counter.

Maybe it's just his looks, right? I mean he's freakishly good looking – all-consuming eyes, a jawline that could cut through steel and the body isn't something to complain about either. I shook my head and scolded myself. I wasn't blind to how handsome he was but I would never consider something more based on it. I mentally slapped myself at the thought of considering a relationship for the second time in ten minutes. No – in order to like someone you have to know them! I don't know, Paul! I literally met the boy yesterday!

"Everything okay in here?" The deep voice I've been craving since the moment I heard it called to me.

"I don't like you!" I half-yelled.

Paul smirked and raised his hands in mock surrender.

"Jeez, a little defensive are we?"

I settled myself and crossed my arms.

"I'm fine, Paul. Sorry. Just getting some water!" I quipped, grabbing my still empty glass and staring at it, realizing I wasn't thirsty as all.

"Uh-huh. Roslynn, look, I don't want to push you into anything. I'm sorry if my being here tonight freaks you out, I can leave if you'd like."

I sighed and leaned on the counter.

"It's okay, Paul, really. I just haven't been in this position ever."

Paul crossed the room and stood in front of me.

"I want you to know that you aren't in any position. Look, I know that I threw a lot at you but I don't want you to assume that you all of a sudden have to make some sort of decision. This life is yours, as are your decisions – none of that will ever change. If things progress further than they do, if not than that's okay too. But as of now you're missing a pretty horrible horror movie out there and a lot of junk food." He finished with a smile that made my heart swell.

I was known for focusing all of my energy on something that made me anxious – I would lock a situation up in my head and overanalyze everything until I made myself sick. Paul was right, I knew that. As soon as he said something about me being his soulmate, I jumped to defend and then immediately tried to figure out how it would work instead of just letting things progress naturally. I took a deep breath and smiled back at him, thinking that maybe I could learn a thing or two from Faye about being spontaneous and living in the moment.

We walked back into the living room as the film credits rolled.

"Way to go you two, you missed the ending."

I plopped on the couch, faking a small frown.

"Oh no. Darn. That's…man I can't believe I missed the ending. Let me guess, she gets away from the killer, gets to the police and they laugh at her? Oh, then of course she runs out of the police station only to find her killer waiting in an ominous ally way?"

Faye looked at me wide-eyed and shook her head incredulously.

"You're too good at that."

I laughed and shrugged.

"No, I just have way too much free time and my weakness is bad horror films – you know this."

"It's still amazing." She said with a laugh. "Well, I think I'm going to head to bed. Stay up as long as you guys want! Paul, the couch is all yours!"

With that, Faye stood up and trotted off to bed leaving Paul and I in the living room alone.

"Are you tired?" he asked.

"Not at all." I replied, glancing at the clock to find that it was only 9pm. Faye went to bed this early on purpose.

We sat in silence for a little bit, awkwardly eyeing each other and waiting for someone to speak.

"So," I began. "Am I able to ask more questions about your superhero life?"

Paul grinned brightly and nodded.

"Anything you want!"

I hummed happily and moved so that I was sitting crisscrossed facing him.

"When did this all…begin for you?"

Paul sighed and turned so that he was mirroring me.

"I was about sixteen when I first phased. Sam was the first one to change and he was the alpha for a long time before Jacob took over. Jared was the only other one at the time but they found me the moment I phased and gave me a run-down of what was happening. I missed a lot of school and everyone thought that I was dying. I didn't care though, hell, I was a sixteen year old boy who found out he could change into a wolf. I honestly didn't think life could get any better until…" He paused and chuckled, shaking his head.

"Until what?" I interjected curiously.

"Well, until…you know." He replied sheepishly, motioning between the two of us.

"Oh…"I murmured, blushing. "What was that like by the way?"

"What? Imprinting?" He asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah, I mean it must have been weird right? I think for me it's hard to grasp because I knew nothing about it and I was confused to feel this…pull towards you. But you knew from the beginning, right?"

Paul thought for a minute and eventually nodded.

"I knew from early on, yeah, but I never really understood it. I saw the way Sam acted with his imprint Emily and eventually Jared with Kim but witnessing it is nothing compared to living the experience for yourself. Like I said, I was always afraid that I'd scare my imprint away because of my temper but when it happened, every fear I had melted away."

He paused and looked at me intensely, his dark eyes always revealing more and more of his soul.

"When I saw you for the first time, I couldn't sense anything else around me but you. It was like my body became completely numb to all else but you. I knew there was something different about you – your scent drew me in, the way you walked, hell, your voice. I had a feeling that I was about to imprint and to be honest, I didn't want to – I was terrified. But when I had a chance to really look at you, to look into your eyes, I couldn't help myself. In that moment…" He shook his head and shrugged.

"Go on…" I said, fully entranced.

"In that moment, I saw my whole life with you. I was completely consumed with the thought of us together. It was zero to a thousand in the moment it took to look into your eyes."

He finished and smiled softly, shrugging.

"It must have been pretty overwhelming." I finally responded lamely, not sure what to say. Sure, I read these things in romance novels and it always made me roll my eyes. Being here, sitting right across from Paul as he said these words – I was a flustered mess.

He laughed softly.

"You've got that right."

Again, everything fell quiet. Outside cicadas sang and I sighed softly – this summer was turning out to be a strange one.

"So, can I ask something too, now? About your not so superhero life?" Paul asked teasingly.

I rolled my eyes but smiled.

"You never really had a boyfriend?" He asked, obviously doubtful.

"Nope, never in my life! I've had people…interested but none that I ever gave a chance to. On top of my feelings that derived from my parents situation, I actually liked being alone. I liked reading, being quiet and having the choice to roam as I pleased! What about you? Never had a gal?" I questioned.

Paul shrugged and looked out the dark window.

"I mean, I've had a couple. None too important and none that lasted long enough to be called a relationship. Even though I was terrified to imprint, I guess you could say that I was also terrified of not imprinting. I didn't want to be in the middle of a relationship and then imprint – it didn't seem fair."

I nodded and told myself that I'd probably be the same way considering the circumstances.

"You're a good guy, Paul." I stated, yawning.

"Nah, just a guy." He said lightly, smiling.

We looked at each other then, noticing how close we eventually gravitated to each other. Now, practically sitting in his lap, I blushed and went to stand. Immediately, I felt his warm hands around my waist.

"Stay…" He whispered, watching his hands around me. "If that's okay…"

I stayed still for a moment before gradually sitting back down, only this time Paul moved so that my head could rest on his chest, his arms wrapped around my frame.

"I know you don't want anything right now, Roslynn, but I can't help but want to be close to you."

 _Me too._

We lay there together until Paul fell asleep. I glanced up at him, his lashes brushing against his cheeks and his chest rising and falling like waves upon the shore – rhythmic and hypnotizing. No, I didn't want anything right now but yes I was very much pulled to Paul in a way I'd never felt before. I've had crushes on other boys, sure, I was human after all but never before had I felt something like this. I wanted to lay here with Paul and I don't think I ever wanted to go back to going to bed alone. None of this was rational, I knew that, but there was a part of me that wanted this forever.

xxx

I awoke the next morning alone, the smell of breakfast wafting through the house and the sun streaming through the window.

"Morning!" Faye sang as she passed through to the kitchen.

I groaned and sat up, shuffling to the kitchen.

"Someone slept well, huh?" Someone new?

I rubbed my eyes and looked around the room, my gaze landing on an absolute goddess.

"Uh, yeah." I said awkwardly. "Sorry, I'm Roslynn, Faye's friend."

The woman smiled brightly and kicked out a chair at the kitchen table across from her.

"I've heard a lot about you! Have a seat! I'm Rachel by the way, Jacob's older sister."

"Oh! It's nice to meet you!" I mumbled, feeling like a potato next to her.

"And that boy you were sleeping on top of, that's my boyfriend." She continued.

Faye whipped around from her spot at the stove, eyes wide and a spoon full of batter in her hand.

This, I thought to myself, this is why I don't do things like this.

 **AN: Hey there! End of Chapter 7! I was wondering if, even though I'm working on this fan-fiction, if anyone would be interested in a Jacob/Faye story to see how their relationship came to be? I've been pondering it over for while and want your opinion! I love authors here who do individual imprint stories for everyone in the pack but somehow tie everything in together and I was thinking of possibly following that route? I don't know - ideas haha! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this! The song for this chapter is Give It Time by Wrabel. As always, feel free to comment any questions or whatever is on your mind! :D Thank you again for your patience!**


	8. Strange Mercy

**AN: Thank you everyone who reviewed - it made me smile so much! Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last! Cheers!**

" _And that boy you're sleeping on top of, that's my boyfriend."_

Of course this would happen to me – I mean honestly why not? It's almost like the Gods of love are punishing me for waiting so long to jump on the romance train. Well, _toot toot_ this sucks. Oh, and of course this woman looked like a model. You could definitely tell that she was Jacob's sister – she was a glowing, golden-brown, tall, chocolate-eyed, most perfect person in perfect town kind of woman.

Faye and I remained frozen in the room, watching Rachel, both not knowing what to say. Suddenly, a bright grin broke across her face and she was lost into a fit of giggles.

"You should have seen your face!" She said through the laughter, wiping her eyes. "You look like you just shit your pants!"

I glanced up at Faye bewildered and received the same look back.

"Wait…what?" I asked, completely taken back.

"Paul's not my boyfriend! Well, not anymore at least. We dated for a couple of weeks in the past but it was nothing major so no worries." She finished, winking at me and grabbing a piece of bacon.

"Oh…that's…great?" I stated lamely, keeping my eyes on the plate set in front of me.

Did Paul break up with her because he was afraid of the imprint? To be fair, he did say that he dated but the main reason they didn't work out was because he wanted to be fair. I felt bad for Paul in that moment, thinking that he could have easily had a relationship with Rachel if it wasn't for his circumstance. He never got to choose, he was just saddled with me. The thought of it was both despairing and frustrating. How could anyone be okay with that? You learn to understand, but to truly feel as though having someone chosen for you was the best way? I don't see how anyone could learn to be okay with that.

Rachel cleared her throat and I met her apologetic stare.

"You're his imprint aren't you?" She asked softly, causing Faye to whip around a second time, batter covered spoon still in her hand sending little globs of mix over the cabinets and countertops.

"That's what he said." I answered quietly.

"Shit, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, reaching to grab my hands. "I totally forgot about that magic mumbo jumbo. You see I moved away from the reservation a long time ago and only visit every now and then so I tend to forget about how different life is here. I'm sorry for causing panic!"

I gave her a cautious smile and shrugged my shoulders.

"It's okay, really! Paul and I are just friends…kind of?"

"Kind of?" Rachel repeated, wagging her eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and blushed.

"For right now at least but I can't predict the future." I murmured, feeling a little awkward talking about her ex-boyfriend in front of her.

Faye walked over, setting down a small stack of pancakes on the table before sitting down herself.

"She says that but I walked in on a pretty heated kiss last night and then, of course, that morning cuddle." Faye commented with a knowing smile.

Rachel grinned, her eyes trained on me.

"Paul is a great guy, honestly! And please don't feel awkward about my comment earlier, I was only teasing! We had a fling for maybe a week and a half before we both decided we should only be friends. I'm four years older than him and he had a lot on his own mind. Not to mention I don't stay too long when I do visit so it never, ever would have worked. The idea of it now is actually repulsing – no offense!"

"None taken trust me!" I answered with a genuine smile.

I could tell that Rachel Black was the type of girl who said whatever popped into her head and though the talk of her and Paul's past relationship was uncomfortable to me for some reason; it was refreshing that she wasn't holding back. For once there was someone in this town who didn't keep secrets. Plus, I felt a sense of relief that he had no interest in Paul.

We chatted and munched on breakfast, commenting on how much food Faye made for just the three of us. Other than the little stack of pancakes which, I'm sure was so little due to half the batter thrown on the walls, there was bacon, eggs, muffins, toast, a wide assortment of fruit among some other items.

As Faye went to answer, Jacob and Paul waltzed into the kitchen laughing. Paul searched the room, his eyes landing on me and his smile widening. He looked so handsome with that smile, with those dimples.

"Rachel! You're here! Faye didn't tell me you'd gotten in!" Jacob stated, lifting his sister in a bear hug…wolf hug?

"Well, I had to get started on the layout." She commented with a smile, waving her hands over the array in front of her.

"Ah, breakfast! I haven't eaten in ages!" Jacob commented, grabbing two plates and stacking them both with everything that was offered. I laughed when I realized Paul did the same thing and assumed it had something to do with being a shape-shifter.

"That's why I made a buffet." Faye said to me, handing Jacob a cup of coffee.

I nodded and giggled, catching Paul's eye and he shoved the rest of his muffin in his mouth which made me laugh harder.

Jacob began to talk about his patrol as Paul helped himself to a third serving. I smiled and thought about how lovely this scene was. The tiny kitchen was full and smelled divine, the sun was pouring in through open windows and everyone had a smile on their face. This was something I didn't have at home and I realized how lonely that was. Obviously, this was a usual morning for Faye and I was almost jealous. With my mom, we were on our own schedules and usually ate alone which was fine but now that I've seen what life is like here, it made me feel a bit sad.

"Well, I really hate to cut it short but there's a pack meeting we need to attend to." Jacob said, standing with Paul.

"There's a meeting? But you just got home!" Faye said, placing some dishes in the sink.

"It shouldn't take too long! We just need to document some pack information and then take that to the elders."

"Regarding the imprint?" Rachel asked.

Jacob chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, regarding the imprint."

Paul looked at me, a smile in his eyes.

With that, Jacob crossed the room and kissed Faye before going over to Rachel and giving her a hug. Paul came to me then and kissed my cheek.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up, Jacob and I had some things to discuss. Don't worry about this either." He said, referring to the documentation of the imprint. "We are required by pack law to record things like this for future members, nothing more!"

"I understand!" I said quickly, giving him a soft smile.

Paul gave me a curious look, as though my reply was something unexpected.

"I'll see you later, okay?"

I nodded and he kissed me lightly on the lips, leaving me frozen in my spot, my eyes following him as he and Jacob pushed each other out of the room.

"Yeah, just friends my ass!" Rachel said, poking my now pink cheeks.

I waved her away and felt myself blush deeper.

"It's complicated!" I huffed; not at all mad, just more concerned about the way my heart was racing from the brief display of affection.

"If you want to, we wouldn't be opposed to cookies later!" Jacob called out from the front of the house. "The pack will be dropping by to see Rachel."

Faye rolled her eyes dramatically but smiled.

"Who do you think I am, Jacob Black? You're wife or something?" Faye yelled back.

Jacob ran back into the room and kissed her passionately.

"Yes, Faye Black." He said with a smirk before exiting the room again.

We laughed at Faye coy grin and headed into the living room, sitting on the rug below the window.

"So, how long have you lived here anyways?" Rachel asked.

"I'm actually from Florida! I came to visit Faye and do some personal research."

"Personal research?" She questioned.

"Uh, yeah…" I sighed, laughing lightly. "After I found out Faye married Jacob so soon after moving here, I assumed that he was a part of the mafia-"

"As anyone would." Faye confirmed, choking back laughter and I playfully shoved her.

"I was genuinely concerned! I didn't know anything about imprinting so what else would I have assumed! I mean for all I knew she was picked up off the streets and auctioned off to settle debt!"

Rachel and Faye burst out into laughter and I eventually joined in.

"Still," Rachel continued, finally calming down. "It was nice of you to move up here all the way from Florida to make sure she's safe. Oh, and obviously for Paul of course!"

I shook my head.

"Oh no! I'm not moving here! I actually leave to go back to Florida on Sunday." Wow, that's only four days away. Even though everything with Paul progressed quickly, I realized that if felt like I had been here for weeks. On another note, having already been here for three days I hadn't spent a lot of time with Faye at all. The day I got here was the fiasco with Paul, and then the next day was our first…hangout and then today. I was relieved to know that I'd at least be spending time with mostly her here on out- I'd been a bad, overwhelmed friend.

I noticed Faye and Rachel giving me a worried look.

"Hold on a second – Paul imprinted on you and you're leaving?" Rachel asked bewildered.

"Uh, yeah?" I stated, just as confused, trying to ignore the pull in my chest. "My mom is in Florida and I…" I trailed off, realizing that my mom was the only one reason why I was adamant about going back. Would I move to Washington? Sure – and that's not because of Paul. I've always wanted to live on the west coast. I loved the weather, the atmosphere and just like Faye, I suppose I've always been pulled here.

"Won't that kill him?" She asked, turning to Faye with questioning eyes. "I mean I'm really outdated on the ways of the pack but won't separation actually hurt or kill Paul?"

My mouth dropped open and I stared wide-eyed at Faye who looked extremely uncomfortable.

"I-is that true?" I asked Faye.

"Well, it…won't be good. The records show that when an imprint has been rejected or denied, the wolf tends so go through several phases of withdrawal eventually leading to sickness, the loss of the ability to phase or death." She said sadly.

"B-But I'm not rejecting him! I just can't…I can't stay and leave my mom alone!" I said quickly, anxiety beginning to settle in.

"Ros, calm down! You're right! You aren't denying Paul, you're life just lies elsewhere – that hasn't happened before as far as I know so this could all be very different. I'm sure everything will be fine!" Faye said, plastering a grin on her face and nudging Rachel to do the same.

We sat in silence for a while, my body covered in a cold sweat. Faye suggested that we walked the beach for a bit to get my mind off the topic. It helped for a little – we roamed for a while, getting our toes wet and the sun warming our skin. It was lovely and something else that urged me to figure out a way to say. Yes, I lived in Florida so there were beaches galore but here they were very different – it was a nice change of scenery. I kept trying to tell myself that everything would work out, that surely Paul wouldn't...die...right? I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the thought. We needed to talk...badly.

After a couple hours, we headed back towards the house so that Faye could start baking cookies for the pack. By the time we made it home, the loud laughter from inside let us know that the boys were already scattered around the house. Faye sighed dramatically and threw her hand across her forehead.

"Now my poor little housewife hands will truly have to bake for an army. Woe is me!" She sang, skipping towards the front door.

Rachel and I looked at each other before cracking up laughing and following her inside. We were greeted by several of the pack members, all familiar faces from the bonfire. We finally came to the last members we had to greet which, from my memory, were Embry and Quil. They seemed to be arguing about something, both of them were very heated and near screaming at each other.

"-kill me."

"You can't be sure of that! He'll understand." Quil said, red in the face but his voice calm.

Suddenly, Embry froze and his gaze slowly moved to where Rachel and I were standing. Those eyes…they were wild and his stance was something I recognized from my own memory.

"Oh no." Rachel murmured the same wild look in her eyes.

"Rachel…" Embry whispered, taking a step closer to her. "Mine."

 **AN: Chapter Eight is finished! I'm trying as best I can to upload as frequently as I can. To be honest, I wasn't sure where to go with this story but now I've figured it all out! Whoohoo! Anyhow, if you guys would be interested in a Faye/Jacob story or even a Rachel/Embry story, I think it would be fun! I'm also interested in doing my own interpretation of Sam/Emily or Quil/Claire? Let me know what you think! Song for this chapter is Warm and Sunny Days by The Dears! As always, feel free to message me or ask any questions! :D**


	9. Against The Grain

**AN: Hello there everyone! I'm sorry for the delay but here is chapter nine! I'm pretty proud of this chapter but it did take me a while to write. As I said before, for a while I didn't know how to proceed but I figured that out. Now the issue is that I have 10 more ideas that couldn't all possibly fit into one plot. So, with that said, I'm going to go ahead and start on another story - either a Jared/Kim, Sam/Emily, Faye/Jacob or Embry/Rachel. I'm not sure which yet but keep an eye out if you enjoy Let The Rive In! Thank you for continuing to support me and let's get the ball rolling!**

" _Rachel…" Embry whispered. "Mine."_

Everyone in the room froze; all eyes were on Rachel who looked particularly panicked. Embry slowly took a step towards her, his approach gentle. Rachel stood still and let him get closer until he was standing right in front of her, caressing her cheek. She kept her eyes forward, breathing methodically as though she was focusing on a math test.

"Mine." He whispered again to which Rachel nodded.

"Yours." She confirmed softly, almost cautiously.

A part of me held pity for both of them. For one, Embry was now in the same situation that Paul was in – both of their imprints intended on eventually leaving La Push. As for Rachel, I knew what she was now going through. We all watched as Embry reached for her hand and pulled her out into the backyard.

"Well, I guess we need to request another meeting with the Elders." Jacob stated, arms crossed and eyes confused.

"Jacob, that's two in one week." Jared commented, pulling a female close to him. I'm assuming his imprint?

Jacob nodded.

"I know, Jared – six of us in total now. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about; there've been no new pack members for a while now so we can rule out vampires in the area. I'm thinking that imprinting is a lot more common than previously documented."

Everyone hummed in agreement but there was a hopeful look on a couple faces as I scanned the room. Not everyone was as cautious about imprinting as Paul it seemed. At the sudden thought of him my eyes roamed around the room and eventually landed on him, his eyes already on me. His gaze motioned towards the front door and I nodded, both of us moving out of the room and into the front yard.

"So I'm guessing this has caused a bit of a commotion." I said, leaning on a tree.

"Yeah, you could say that. I'm happy for Embry though; his heart was set on imprinting on you ever since he heard you were coming." He said, holding back a grimace.

"Me?" I exclaimed.

Paul laughed and shrugged.

"Well maybe not you exactly, but someone. One of the first things that the alpha goes over when we first phase is imprinting – you never know when the right one will come along so it's always best to keep prepared. Embry was ecstatic; he's a hopeless romantic by nature. So, anytime a visitor comes along he's hoping that she'll be the one. You can only imagine his disappointment when you came along and became my imprintee and not his." He said with a soft chuckle.

My heart fluttered at Paul calling me his. It was strange considering that the first time he mentioned that I was "his", I panicked. I took a deep breath and accepted that my heart was going to run a marathon every time I was in Paul's presence. Paul's chest puffed up and a large grin graced his face. I know that in his weird, wolfy way that he knew exactly what I was feeling. I'm sure he heard to too.

"Hasn't he met Rachel before though? I mean I thought you were all brothers and hanging around each other all of the time." I questioned before he could comment on anything.

"Rachel has been flighty ever since her mother died. She visits for a week or two every now and then and usually spends most of that time with Jacob. Now that you mention it, it does seem a little strange that they never met but maybe it wasn't time for them too. The last couple years have been hard for the poor kid, ever since he phased he's had trouble in school and at home. Now he's finally settled and it couldn't be a better time for him to imprint. Everything happens for a reason." He said with a smile, winking at me.

I felt myself smile back but my brain was swarmed with questions. It would make total sense that "fate" would put your soulmate at your doorstep when you're both the least and most prepared for them. From what Paul was saying about Embry, it seemed as though the timing couldn't have been better. As for Faye, I know personally she was in need of some independence and someone who truly cared for her; someone to lift her up and show her she could flourish just as she was. Jacob, who's had a rough past, seems to have matured into a level-headed adult who can truly care for Faye regardless of the hardship he's endured. That's something that I'm sure has taken time, trust me, I know.

This made me wonder why Paul was thrown into my life when we were both so seemingly unstable. Granted, in the short amount of time I've been here, I've learned a lot and the idea of spending a lot of time getting to know Paul doesn't sound so bad. Though I've only been here for a couple of days, the relationships of those around me and the people in them have taught me a lot.

"I guess it does, doesn't it?" I said, giving Paul a shy grin.

Things fell quiet for a minute as they tended to do when Paul and I were alone. Gray clouds rolled in and we both heard thunder in the distance. I began to turn to walk back to the house but took my hand and began leading me down the path to the beach.

"Let's take a walk." He said with a soft smile, the fading sunshine casting shadows over his handsome face.

"Are you sure?" I asked, pointing up to the gloomy sky. "We may get caught in the storm."

Paul laughed up towards the sky.

"We already are, Roslynn."

I smiled and we both began running towards the beach, the overcast sky melting into the bruised sea as it came into view. I stopped where the waves hit the shore but Paul continued to run, stripping off his shirt and letting his body collapse into the crash of a wave. I admired the way the muscles rippled as he surfaced and waved for me to join him. His hair was darker- his skin and eyes too. The clouds that had cohesively welded together caused everything around us to look dim, dark, and melancholy. Even so, with Paul in the middle of the ocean, waves crashing around his tanned skin and his hand waving me forward, everything seemed brighter than ever. His bright smile and skin scattered with droplets made my knees weak. I thought to myself that everything would be so much easier if he looked like a normal human being but I quickly knew that wasn't true – Paul is Paul regardless.

Rain began to fall, turning the already turbulent ocean into one rippled with even more movement. I looked up at the angry sky and then back at Paul who was watching me closely.

"You're already wet, Ros – might as well swim!" He called over the boom of thunder.

I shook my head at him and laughed before stripping down to my bra and panties, running as fast as I could through the shallow water to get to him. Thank the good lord above that I had chosen underwear that somewhat matched.

Once I got to Paul, his eyes darkened and his arms wrapped around my waist – he looked like the proverbial big bad wolf that was about to devour the little pig. I blushed as his eyes scanned my body, his eyes lingering on my collarbone and chest. I blushed and splashed him playfully.

"Hey! Eyes are up here, Cujo." I joked, earning a smirk from him.

Paul's eyes met my own and they looked hungry. He approached me and I remained still, the rain continued to fall harder all around us. He raised his hand, caressing my cheek and I allowed my eyes to close. Paul's lips were on mine then, the hunger in his eyes translated into his kiss. To my surprise, a hunger of my own awakened and I wanted to kiss him back so badly, so I did. I let myself go and returned the same amount of passion into the kiss. Our lips never fought one another, they danced and it felt as though our passion grew, spread. The choppy waves were now calming, kissing my flesh. The rain now fell in fat, slow drops and kissed the soaked strands of hair splayed over my shoulders and back. His hot hands encased my frame, our kiss deepening. My hands reached up and buried themselves in his thick hair, a groan crawling up from his throat. He pulled away, resting his forehead on mine.

"You're driving me wild." He breathed.

I smiled and bit my lip.

"Paul…"I began but he silenced me with a quick kiss.

"It's okay, Roslynn – we'll let this just happen. In this moment, let's just let this happen to us."

Paul then lowered himself so that the water now reached half-way up his chest. I gasped loudly as he swiftly pulled my legs up from under me and rested his hands on my back so that I was floating on the surface. He chuckled softly but then it was quiet. Slowly, he pulled one hand from under me and then the other so that I was now floating on my own. Then he was also floating, his hand on mine and we lay there with both eyes closed, the remainder of the storm passing over our floating forms. There was a sense of peace, mercy and serenity in the air. The sun inched out and, eventually, my skin began to warm. I peeked up at the sky and then over at Paul who was floating with a small smile on his lips – he must enjoy the warmth too. The only sign that there had been a storm was the leftover smell of rain mixed with the salty air and the dark clouds heading in a new direction. I sighed, hoping they would bring another couple the moment it had brought Paul and I.

"This is what it should feel like." Paul said, his words hanging in the air.

"Hmm?" I hummed.

"The life I want with you, this is what it should feel like." He glanced at me through his long lashes. "Easy and warm, as though you're floating. You're over there, I'm over here but we're together, still connected. If anything should happen, we're close. And holding hands like this, no current could cause us to drift." He finished his eyes serious.

I thought about what Paul said and almost instantaneously approved of the life he wanted. Ideally, if I wanted it, this could be our everyday. It could be simple and mellow but also filled with passion and laughter. An ache in my abdomen reminded me of how jealous I was this morning at breakfast. I wanted that scene exactly – a home of my own, a humble kitchen filled with sunshine and laughter. I wanted Paul there too, I realized, kissing me and it always meaning more than just a simple kiss. Here, in the ocean, I was floating on my own. If I wanted to swim away, head to shore or simply just float I had every option too. I realized Paul was telling me that I could be myself and that he was there as support me, to help me should I ever get lost at sea – he was potentially my lighthouse.

I started to realize that maybe my mom was right – Jacob too, everyone really. Sure, sometimes things fail and it's heartbreaking but not experiencing what it's like to love someone that deeply, not experiencing what it's like to at least try, that I'm sure is almost worse than the heartbreak. I've been so focused on pushing Paul away that I never realized how good it could be to just give him a chance. Giving in to Paul's kiss made my body hum with excitement; it was as though little fireworks had burst throughout my veins. I've heard stories of girls comparing their kisses to fireworks but this was something I'd never felt before, something I'd never heard another girl describe. It was special, almost like Paul and I were two pieces carved from the same clay.

"I think…" I began, looking up again towards the sun and smiling as my cheeks warmed. " I think that I would like a life like that very much."

 **AN: I just wanted to say that though this may seem like the ending of the story, it isn't! Like I said, I have a couple plots to consider when it comes to moving forward with this story! I know there wasn't much dialog but for some reason I really enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope that you've enjoyed reading it as well! The song for this chapter is called Such Great Heights by Iron & Wine. Thanks again! Much love!**


	10. La Vie En Rose

**AN: Hello there everyone! I'm sorry for such a late update but I seem to constantly be thrown into complicated situations that prevent me from updating - Life is funny that way, right? Anyhow, here is chapter 10 and I'm working on pre-writing a couple chapters to keep up consistent updating! I really hope that you enjoy this chapter and thank you so much for your continuous support! Also, I did update my other story Thunder if anyone is interested! Enjoy my wee honey-bee's**

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 _"I think…" I began, looking up again towards the sun and smiling as my cheeks warmed. "I think that I would like a life like that very much."_

Paul and I lay in the ocean's embrace for what felt like eternity before we finally headed back up to shore and lay on the dark sand. The sun was warm on my limbs – I glanced at Paul and quietly admired how the bits of sand mixed into his hair and covering most of his skin made him look like some kind of ocean god.

A sudden pain in my abdomen reminded me that after today, I only had a couple days left in La Push before I put to test the theory of Paul's survival without me. I turned on my side and rested my head on my palm. Paul glanced at me from the corner of his eye, smirking devilishly as he visually devoured my body still clad in my underwear. I rolled my eyes dramatically and rolled onto my stomach, resting on my elbows instead.

"Paul? Can I ask you something?" I said hesitantly.

"You can ask my anything anytime that you want, Roslynn."

I nodded, not sure if he would mean that after the conversation I was initiating.

"What happens if an imprint leaves they're wolf?" I questioned, drawing patterns in the sand.

Paul's face fell into one of defeat and he sighed.

"There haven't been many cases of that happening, honestly, so no one is really sure but for the most part the outcome isn't pretty."

I looked up into his sad eyes before quickly looking back down. I hated to see Paul so upset, like he'd lost something he never had but what else could I do? My mother was the only family that I had left.

"What do you mean by it isn't pretty? They don't…die do they?" I asked quietly.

"Unfortunately it does happen. Not every imprint case is the same, Roslynn – they're all like fingerprints or snowflakes, so intensely individual and unique. Some people make mistakes and others flee out of fear. There have been some rare cases where the imprint truly believes that we're monsters and can't cope with the company of a wolf. The cases that we're aware of have led to serious illness, the loss of phasing or, yes, even sometimes death." He said with a shiver, not meeting my eyes.

"But all of those happen because the imprint has negative feelings towards their partner, right? Fear, disgust – what if the imprint lo…really, really likes their partner but can't help but leave? What then?"

Paul dragged his gaze up to meet mine and although there was sorrow in his eyes, there was also understanding.

"Roslynn, I know where this is going." He began, his voice trembling. "I know that you want to go home to Florida, that you want to be with your mom but it's going to be hard on us. We imprint for a reason, it's our destiny – the universe chose us and messing with that kind of fate leads to disaster." His eyes flashed with a bit of frustration.

"Paul, I don't know what to tell you. You expect me to just abandon my mother? She's my only family – I have no one else!" I said, my voice rising.

Paul sat up, looking out into the ocean with a furrowed brow and frown prominent on his lips.

"You have your own life to live, Ros." He murmured.

"That doesn't mean that I'm obligated to choose you." I hissed, standing up and fumbled my way back into my clothes. I began to stomp off back towards Faye's home when Paul appeared in front of me.

"Listen, you're right. You're not obligated to choose me and if you really didn't want anything to do with me than I would walk away but _god damn_ I know that you feel what we have! Why are you choosing to ignore it? You can't keep living your life on excuses because you're scared, Roslynn. Just stay! Stay with me and I'll show you that life can be easy with me! Every day will be an adventure, you'll never live a day with me that you'll regret. You're everything to me…just please don't go…" Paul finished, his arms hanging limply at his sides, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Paul, I…I can't…I'm so sorry…" I said quickly, running as fast as I could back to Faye with hot tears streaming down my cheeks.

When I told Paul that I wanted the life he imagined, I was serious. I wanted that full, happy kitchen with food always cooking and my closest friends and family always around. I wanted to learn everything there was to learn about Paul and to love every little piece that he gave me. I wanted to grow with him, to tell our children and grandchildren how special our love story was. Most of all, I wanted to place all of my trust in him and for once not have to always question his motive - I wanted to finally be in a relationship where I knew we'd help each other flourish and balance each other out. The ache in my chest as I ran from him told me that I belonged here, I belonged with him and yet I couldn't give him all of me, no matter how much I wanted it. He was asking too much and I wasn't ready to give it to him.

I slowed to a walk as I passed through the front door, sighing in relief to find that everyone but Faye had left to go to the pack meeting. Faye was singing as she did the dishes, her yellow kitchen seeming extra bright with the post-rain sun shining through. She looked up at me as I entered the kitchen, her wide smile falling as she saw the tears still running down my cheeks.

"Roslynn! What's wrong? Are you alright? Did something happen?" She said hurriedly, rushing to pull me into a hug.

"What's wrong with me?" I sobbed, chest heaving with every breath. "Why is he everything that I've ever wanted? Why can't I give in to what I know is the right thing?"

Faye rubbed my back soothingly and rocked me back and forth. How did our roles reverse? Since when was she the one consoling me?

"Roslynn, tell me what happened. We can go through this together!" She stated softly.

I nodded and wiped my eyes.

"We went to the beach and he started explaining what life could be like with him and I liked it, I really liked it Faye but I can't do it! I can't leave my mom all alone by herself! I don't know what she'd do all by herself!" I exclaimed, sniffling.

"Ros, have you talked to your mom about what's going on? I know you don't want to leave her but she's a grown woman and has done a fabulous job on her own, right? Look how she raised you! You're a strong, smart and independent woman with a huge heart and your mom taught you that." Faye said with a gentle smile. "I'm sure if you talked to her, she'd be all for you staying in La Push…if that's what you really want."

I took a deep breath and sighed, nodding.

"I should call her." I mumbled, nose stuffy and eyes swollen.

Faye patted my back and I rose to walk to my room, talking out my cell phone and dialing my number.

The phone rang for a couple seconds before my mom picked up, the sound of her voice instantly calming me down.

"Hey baby! How are you! I haven't heard from you in a little!" She said cheerily and I could tell that her classic endearing smile was plastered on her face.

"Hey Mom – I'm sorry for not calling. Things have been pretty hectic here." I said, plopping down on my bed.

"That's alright- as long as you're safe and having fun! So is Washington everything you imagined? I know you've always wanted to visit there. I'm so happy Faye moved there so that you have someone there that you know!"

"Washington is really wonderful, Mom – I feel at home here." I stated somewhat dreamily.

"Well I'm glad! I always figured this would happen sooner or later!" She said with a chuckle.

"You figured what would happen, Mom?" I asked, not understanding.

"I mean when you told me that Faye moved to Washington I was sure that you'd follow along as soon as you could. You always had that appetite for adventure but for some reason were always to cautious. I figured that you were waiting for a reason to flee the nest, I just didn't think you'd make up such a ridiculous story to go!" I could hear other voices in the background as she talked – did she have company?

"Mom, Faye really did get married! That wasn't a lie and that's the only reason I came out here! I wasn't lying to come scope out the scenery to find some place to settle down! Who are you with? Are you busy?" I asked, surprised that my Mom has assumed that my intentions were to move here.

"Oh not really! I've had a lot of free time to catch up with my older friends and we've been taking art classes a couple days a week! It's been a great time – I feel more myself again!" She said with a light laugh. "Roslynn, lie or not, have your adventure, okay? Don't feel rushed to come back home! I miss you tons but you're old enough and you have your own life to enjoy honey!"

I smiled softly to myself, feeling as though everything that I had been so stressed about had melted away.

"Thank you, Mom. Go have fun and tell the girls that I say hello! I love you!"

"I love you too, Roslynn! Call me soon!" She sung before hanging up.

My mom seemed happy, more than happy actually, she seemed free. I wondered if she had been stressed about me not moving on with my life or if she felt like a burden to me. Either way, she certainly seemed like she was getting along just fine without me. Hell, she was even encouraging me to stay.

I took a deep breath and fell back on the bed, knowing that this conversation with my mom had just solved all of my problems. The only thing left was to tell Paul…if he wasn't too angry with me for running away for the hundredth time.

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 **An: Alright! There is the end of chapter 10! I really hope that you enjoyed this update and look forward to another soon. I'm also trying to put together a Sam and Emily/Embry and Rachel/Seth and OC story so keep an eye out for those! I know I'm crazy but I find that the more I have going on (writing wise), the more ideas come and the more inspired I am to write! Thank you again and enjoy the rest of your week! Song for this chapter is Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac**


	11. Problems

**AN: It was about damn time I updated this story! I'm sorry for the long wait and I really hope that you enjoy this update! It's from Paul's point of view and I thought that now was a good time for it!**

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"Listen, you're right. You're not obligated to choose me and if you really didn't want anything to do with me than I would walk away but _god damn_ I know that you feel what we have! Why are you choosing to ignore it? You can't keep living your life on excuses because you're scared, Roslynn. Just stay! Stay with me and I'll show you that life can be easy with me! Every day will be an adventure, you'll never live a day with me that you'll regret. You're everything to me…just please don't go…" I said and I could feel tears well up in my eyes.

This was all wrong. Roslynn was supposed to look into my eyes and then we'd live happily after – that's how everyone's story goes. Why is mine so messed up? Why is ours such a struggle?

"Paul, I…I can't…I'm so sorry…" Roslynn said quickly before running off…again.

I couldn't take it anymore! The running, the pushing away feelings, the constant threats of going back home – it all weighs too heavy on my heart. Couldn't she see that I wasn't asking her to move here or abandon her mother; I just wanted her to stay a little longer. I wanted those moments of scary movie marathons and floating in the ocean to last forever. I wanted to spend forever making her laugh, smile and trust me. I want to be the one to help her realize that it's okay to trust love but it takes two to tango.

I was going to lose my mind if I kept all of these feelings in; I need to talk to someone. I gathered myself as much as I could and began running to the only other person who had an imprint threaten to leave them – Sam. His house wasn't too far from the beach and I made it there within ten minutes. The door was open before I could knock and Sam was standing in the doorway, looking exactly the same as he always did.

Sam still came to pack gatherings and even ran patrol every now and then but now that Jacob was the pack leader, he took a much needed break.

"Hey Lahote, it's good to see you." He said warmly, motioning for me to come inside.

"You too, Sam, you too. How have you been? How's Emily?" I asked out of politeness.

"She's doing fine, you know her. She's about to pop any day now so she's absolutely glowing." He smiled fondly and I could tell that he was excited. "What's wrong Paul? Why the long face?"

I shook my head and sighed, not realizing that thinking about what Sam had accomplished with his imprint was all that I ever wanted…and I was about to lose it all.

"Sam, I'm going to lose Roslynn. She's fixed on going back to Florida to be with her mom and I don't know what I'm going to do. I know that Emily tried to leave after you imprinted. How the hell did you do it? I feel so damn drained of everything." I said, my heart aching as I spoke.

"Paul, you have to give her space. As long as you've made it known to her that you'll support her and be there for her, that's all she'll ever need. She has to make her own decisions and if she feels like its right to go back to Florida, let her." He said, as though it was the simplest thing in the world.

"That's it? Just let her go? Sam, she's everything to me." I explained.

"I know she is Paul, trust me. But we aren't here to cage them in either. They aren't our property, they're our soulmates. I know that you know that but after you just imprint you go a little wild so I get that too. When Emily left me, I was absolutely devastated and felt a lot like you do now. But I gave her time and most of all I understood of how she felt. Again, I know that you understand, it's just giving her time that you need to work on."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"So I let her go to Florida so that she can be with her Mom – but what then? What if she decides to never come back? What if I never see her again? What if she gets there and decides to cut all contact because she's too afraid to be with me?" I felt my heart race and my body felt hot – I was panicking.

"Paul! Take a deep breath, kid. Have you ever thought about going to Florida with her?" He asked and I looked at him wide-eyed. The idea never so much as crossed my mind.

"Do you think that's possible? What about the pack? I don't think that Jacob would like it if I just ditched." I said, still hopeful.

"Jacob would have no problem and there are plenty of wolves that could pick up an extra hour or two so that you would be covered. Besides, most of us who have imprinted know how painful it is to be away from your imprint. Now, give Roslynn some space and I'll talk to Jacob for you." He said with a smile, patting me on the back. "And chill out Paul – she's your soulmate. Everything will always work out."

"Thank you, Sam. Everything makes sense now; it always does after talking to someone else." I said with a light chuckle before shaking his hand and walking out of the house.

I picked up my pace so that I was running home, the fresh air whipping around my face metaphorically whipping my problems away. Sam was right, I needed to give Roslynn some space to figure out what she wanted and I needed to figure out how I was going to get my ass to Florida. That is, if she wants me to go with her to Florida.

I arrived at my small apartment and went straight to bed. I laid there for a while- hopeful, rested, renewed.

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 **AN: There we go! I wanted to give you a glimpse of what was going on in Paul's head! I'm sorry that it was a bit shorter than the usual chapter but the next update will be soon and longer haha! I've been pretty focused on Le Temps Est Bon and updating that one more than any other story but I'll work on that! Thank you for remaining supportive! I hope you wonderful fireflies have a fantastic rest of your week! See you soon!**


	12. Chasing Cloud Nine

**AN: Hello there my little sunflowers! Sorry that it's been a while since I've updated - as per usual, life gets in the way most of the time. For the past couple days I've been working on a couple updates for my story Le Temps Est Bon and I figured that it was about time that I updated this story. I'm thankful for anyone who just started reading this story or who's been here for the long run - your support means the absolute world to me! With that said, I sincerely hope that you enjoy this update! Thanks again!**

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The sun that filtered into the room the next morning was bright and cheerful, waking me up with a smile. It was wild how quickly things came together and were fine again. I freaked out on Paul for the millionth time, panicked and stressed myself out beyond belief. I was always really, really good at making everything much harder for myself by blowing things out of proportion. Somehow, my mom solved every problem within a short phone call – everything seemed so incredibly clear. For so long I was worried about abandoning my mother, about leaving her just like my Father left. It took calling her to realize that, though she would always welcome me, my mom was still an independent woman. Her adventures and escapades were still something she loved. It was important for me to realize that she never expected me to stay with her for my whole life, she knew how crucial it was that I create my own adventure.

I thought back to my time here in La Push - to the way the pack interacted with each other the other at the bonfire, to the palpable happiness at breakfast the other morning. I wanted that, I wanted that life so badly and I was the only one distancing myself from it. If I made the choice to stay here, I would never have to venture away from the bruised beaches and emerald forest. I would have that home filled with people all the time, with memories and sunshine. Most of all, I would have Paul - the person I met only a matter of days ago but somehow wedged themselves right between my rib cage. I couldn't tell if it was the pull I felt to La Push or the magic surrounding this land but I wanted to stay here. If Paul was willing to put up with me and if Faye would allow me to crash with her for a little longer, then I _would_ stay. Holy shit, I would stay.

A part of me was a little amazed at myself – over a week ago I was basically scolding Faye for moving and hopping into a serious relationship so quickly yet here I am moving across the country for a boy! Well, not just a boy…it was Paul. The thought of him and the broken look on his face as I ran away yesterday made me cringe. After all that he did to open up to me and make himself vulnerable, I still ran away from him. I knew at the time that it wasn't the right thing to do but I couldn't help it – I panicked. Today I would tell him that I've decided to stay in La Push and that I wanted to give us a real shot.

I sat up in bed and surveyed the room, smiling at my scattered belongings. Florida was my home but this was beginning to _feel_ like home. I stood up and threw on jeans and a t-shirt before thumping downstairs, freezing when I saw Paul sitting at the dining room table in a serious discussion with Jacob. Of course, with their wolfy super hearing and all that, Paul's head snapped up and his eyes met mine effortlessly. He shot me a hearty smile before turning to Jacob and continuing the conversation. Wait, wasn't he mad at me?

"Uh, morning?" I said with a small wave, confused at the jovial atmosphere.

"Morning, Ros. I put some coffee on if you want any!" Jacob replied with an easy smile.

"Thanks." I murmured. "Is Faye around?"

"Still sleeping as usual!" He said with a laugh, shaking his head. "That girl of mine can sleep through a tornado!"

"Faye doesn't sleep, she hibernates." I joked, heading over to the coffee pot and grabbing a mug.

I smiled fondly, pouring myself a mug of hot, black go go juice. Though it had been proven time and time again, I was glad to see that Faye was still her authentic self. Jacob accepted who she was whole-heartedly and never made any attempt at trying to change her - they were made for each other and it was so obvious.

I added a scoop of sugar to my coffee, feeling Paul's heated gaze on me. I turned around to take a seat at the table but found only Paul remaining - Jacob had disappeared. I placed myself at the table and cupped the warm mug with both hands, shifting in my seat.

"Can I talk to you?" I stated.

"We need to talk." He said at the same time.

We both paused and then chucked to ourselves. Paul smiled and my heart fluttered – I don't think that I would ever be able to get over how unfairly handsome he was.

"Ladies first?" He questioned, motioning to me with his large had.

"Paul, I'm sorry for everything. Yesterday I just…I panicked. My whole life I was afraid of love, I was afraid to let someone in and prove everything that I knew wrong. You did that and I thought I was okay with it but then I was faced with leaving my mom or staying here and I didn't know what to do. My mom has been by my side since day one and everything that she's done, she did for me. I know that you're right; I know that eventually I'm going to have to leave and make a life for myself but it just felt so wrong. I almost feel like I'm betraying her." I paused, looking down at my hands. "But, at the same time, it felt so right."

"Roslynn, I didn't say those things yesterday to force you into something that you weren't ready for. I only want to see you happy and cared for – that's what is important to me. Listen, I was told about imprinting since I first phased and I've had time to acclimate myself to the idea. I saw Sam, Jared, Quil and Jacob all imprint and get married within months – it just seemed so easy. I knew that every situation was completely different but I also wanted to start my life with you as soon as possible. I was selfish and didn't realize that my life with you started from the moment I first looked into your eyes. I was being greedy and that only hurt you…that's why, if you'll let me, I'd like to come to Florida with you." He finished seriously.

I stared at him wide-eyed, not believing what I was hearing.

"W-what? Is that even possible?" I breathed.

"That's what I was talking to Jacob about. Ros, I can't imagine a life with you on the other side of the country – it's too painful. Jacob and I worked something out with the pack so that I could leave every couple of weeks to visit you. It'll be hard, but it's better than nothing!" He said with a soft smile.

I stared at him in awe, taken back by everything he just told me. Paul was willing to sacrifice his time to come and visit me in Florida? Not only that, but that pack was willing to work harder to make sure that Paul and I were together. The idea astounded me; the love that Paul and the pack demonstrated could have knocked me off of my feet. I collected myself and smiled brightly at Paul.

"Well, that's actually why I wanted to talk to you. After I freaked out yesterday, I talked to Faye and ended up calling my mom. I thought that she would have been miserable in Florida without me but she actually was spending time with her friends and signing up for art classes – she seemed so free. I've only been gone for a couple days but I think having time to herself made her prioritize her own happiness. She even assumed that I was planning on moving here with Faye." I laughed and shook my head. "I knew that I couldn't live my life for my mom, I had to live it for me but hearing how genuinely happy she was just made everything seem okay. Paul, the moment I stepped off the plane and crossed into La Push, I felt like I was home. I was drawn to the scenery, to the simplicity and then to you. I could never as you or the pack to make any changes on my behalf and that's why…"

I paused and reached my hands over to Paul's, giving him a smile.

"If it's at all possible, I want to stay in La Push." I stated.

Paul's eyes widened, staring at me dumbfounded. He stood up slowly, walked around the table and pulled me up out of my chair, embracing me tightly.

"Holy shit…" He whispered, relieved. "You have no idea how happy you just made me." He said before kissing every inch of my face. I erupted into delighted giggles and blushed, shaking my head.

"Are you sure that this is what you want, Roslynn? I'd do anything for you and your happiness, you know."

I nodded and smiled.

"Paul, I want to be here. I want to live this adventure with you and with Faye and the whole pack. I feel like I have a whole family again." I said softly, remembering the other morning in the kitchen.

Paul then scooped me up and spun me in a circle, earning a happy shriek from me.

"Is everything okay?"

Paul set me down and I turned to face Faye who was standing at the foot of the stairs with a bright smile on her face.

"Everything is perfect." Paul replied, his hand seeking my own.

I smiled sheepishly and took a step towards Faye.

"Um, Faye? I was wondering if I could-"

"Stay forever and ever?" She finished, now visibly bouncing from one foot to the other.

"Well, yeah, that exactly." I said with a short laugh.

Faye bounded over, closing the distance, and wrapped her arms around Paul and me.

"Of course you can! You know that you're always welcome here!" She said excitedly. "I've missed you so much and I would absolutely love to have you here with me! It gets a little crazy with all these wolves around." She joked.

"Oh, you love that craziness and you know it."

We broke apart briefly to see Jacob enter the room, a knowing smile on his face.

"No extra patrol for anyone I'm guessing?" He said confidently.

"No, no extra patrol for anyone. Roslynn has decided to stay here, so my ass is staying put." Paul confirmed.

Jacob then crossed the room with a few giant steps and enveloped the three of us in another group hug, causing all of us to break out in laughter. The hug broke apart and my hand found Paul's easily.

"I'm so fucking glad when things just go right." He hummed, kissing Faye on the forehead.

I looked up at Paul with a smile, earning an adoring one from him back.

"Me too." I whispered, reaching up to kiss him softly.

* * *

 **AN: Voila! The end of another chapter! I really, really love this story so much and I loved working on it. With this chapter ending on such a great note, I'm conflicted on continuing with the story or not. I think that this chapter was a good closer but I also feel like I need more time with the story! It's a tough decision so we'll see what happens! With that said, I've decided to do a Jacob and Faye background story as well as delve into what happened with Rachel! I have a lot of ideas swirling around in this head of mine! If you liked this chapter or want to see the story continue, please let me know! I appreciate all of you for sticking around! Thank you so much and have a great day! :D**


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